The Minnesota Twins have had an ownership problem over the last few decades. But while the team was briefly put on the market last summer, the Pohlad family reversed course when they couldn’t get proper value, setting off outrage and apathy among their fans as Tom Pohlad took control last December.
Chanting “Sell the team” has been just as popular as “Let’s go Twins” this season and some fans may wonder why the Pohlads wouldn’t sell when their fan approval rating is at an all-time low. But any confusion may be cleared up after Arte Moreno sold the Los Angeles Angels to billionaire Stan Kroenke for $4 billion this week.
After running a dysfunctional franchise for two decades, Moreno cashed out in a big way. And while the Twins are still under the ownership of the Pohlads, it could show what it would take for them to sell the team.
Arte Moreno’s dysfunction didn’t keep him from cashing out on the Angels
Moreno’s tenure as owner started well as he bought the team for $184 million in 2003. While he lowered beer prices and took over a team that had just won the World Series in 2002, he kept earning goodwill for signing Vladimir Guerrero to a five-year, $70 million contract in January 2004 and a golden age in Angels history, winning five American League West Division titles and making the playoffs in five of six seasons from 2004 to 2009.
While Moreno spent money, it wasn’t done wisely. The Angels made their first mistake when they signed Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240 million contract as he was past his prime with the St. Louis Cardinals. They also signed Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract before injuries put an end to his career.
Signing Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract was another brutal move and it helped waste the careers of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, who never made the playoffs with the Angels at the same time despite playing together for six seasons in Anaheim.
Moreno’s troubles also extended off the field. A lack of investment in the analytics and scouting departments left the Angels behind other teams despite their big name bats and Morenno became a hands on owner, most notably cancelling a 2020 trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling because of the time it took to make the deal and refusing to trade Ohtani in the summer of 2023 even though the Angels were going nowhere and Ohtani appeared destined to leave as a free agent.
The 2019 death of Tyler Skaggs, a corruption scandal with former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu and Moreno stating that “winning was not in the top five priorities” for Angels fans also left a stain on his ownership. But despite all of this, Moreno was able to get $4 billion – or roughly 21.7 times his initial investment – by selling the team to Kroenke.
With the San Diego Padres also being sold to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones for $3.9 billion earlier this summer, the value of MLB franchises is on the rise and it’s something the Pohlads may have taken notice of after their failed attempt to sell the Twins last summer.
The Angels sale could wind up becoming good news for Twins fans
The Twins reportedly sought a sale price of $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion when they put the team on the market last year. But most offers came around $1.5 billion. While The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported there was a “robust” market for the team, the $425 million in debt reported in August 2025 that reached $500 million last winter affected their offers and an early flirtation with Mat and Justin Ishbia fell through when they pivoted to invest in the Chicago White Sox, whom the brothers previously had a minority stake in.
The topic of money is tiring for a fan base that just wants a consistent winner on the field and have their concerns heard off of it. But the Pohlads are likely waiting so they can get the best offer possible, which could come after MLB and its players association hammer out a collective bargaining agreement this winter (or in a worst-case scenario, a lengthy lockout that bleeds into the 2027 season).
Even then, they have to view the Angels sale as good news. Even with Moreno’s poor management and a stadium that’s falling apart, he was still able to get a massive bag when he decided to sell. The Twins are in an even better position as Target Field is still one of the top stadiums in MLB and it could be beneficial to wait it out and put the team back on the market when the Twins pay off their debt and the labor situation has stabilized.
That’s not going to calm Twins fans who have screamed “SELL THE TEAM” over the past year. But it could reveal a timeline if fans are hoping the Pohlads could someday sell the team.
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