• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Front Office Sports Honors winners are here! View the 2025 winners

Twins Attendance Plunges As Sale Drags On

The team has been up for sale since October, but the process is moving slowly as they struggle to start the season.

Twins
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Twins have struggled to start the MLB season, attendance at Target Field is dramatically down, and Minnesota’s sale process has stalled over the Pohlad family’s asking price. 

Ahead of Friday night’s matchup against the Braves in Atlanta, the team sits in fourth place in the American League Central division with a record of 7–12.

Even more notably, attendance at Twins home games has dwindled. The franchise announced Monday night’s game against the Mets drew 10,240 fans, although that figure refers to total tickets sold, not the actual number of fans in attendance. Even if all 10,240 fans were at the game, that figure represents the lowest official attendance in the 15-year history of Target Field—aside from games played with attendance restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

They’re averaging a little fewer than 18,000 fans per game this season, which is seventh-worst in the league. They’ve had fewer than two million total fans in attendance for each of the last four seasons. Before that, excluding the one season when there were COVID-19 restrictions, the Twins totaled at least two million fans in 13 of the prior 15 seasons.

The sluggish start comes as the Pohlad family, who bought the Twins for $44 million in 1984, is trying to sell the franchise they’ve owned for four decades. The patriarch, Carl Pohlad, died in 2009, at which point his son Jim took over the team. In 2022, Jim’s nephew, Joe Pohlad, assumed primary administrative duties while Jim remained the controlling owner. 

The team was put up for sale in October and is working with Allen & Company on the process, which has been anything but smooth. 

A representative for the Twins said the team is not commenting on the sale process other than acknowledging it is still ongoing. A representative for Allen & Co. did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

The Pohlads reportedly rejected a bid valuing the team at $1.5 billion, seeking a valuation of at least $1.7 billion. That desired price point is $50 million higher than the Twins’ valuation as calculated by Michael Ozanian at CNBC, who earlier this month said the Twins are worth $1.65 billion, 22nd out of the 30 total MLB teams. 

The Pohlads are asking for a price that’s about in line with the value of the most recent MLB team sale. The Orioles were purchased last year by billionaire private equity executive David Rubenstein at a valuation of $1.725 billion. 

The asking price gets complicated, however, considering the Twins reportedly have more than $425 million in debt. MLB enforces a debt service rule that is meant to ensure teams maintain fiscal stability. Debt must be approved by the league, and if the amount of debt rises too high, MLB can step in to offer emergency financial assistance. Specifics of the MLB debt rule are not public, and the league did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I haven’t heard anything about the Twins being in distress, so certainly, at least in the opinion of MLB, it seems to be within the realm of approved debt,” Irwin Kishner, co-chair of the sports law group at Herrick, Feinstein LLP, tells Front Office Sports.

Offers were originally due by April 1, but that deadline has reportedly been pushed back to the middle of next month because the Pohlads want to hit the $1.7 billion mark.

The issues surrounding the Twins have reportedly led to at least one potential suitor stepping aside. Mat and Justin Ishbia reportedly displayed interest in the Twins, although their situation was complicated because they own a stake in the White Sox, which presents a conflict under MLB ownership rules. In February, they dropped their pursuit and instead decided to increase their stake in the White Sox, according to The Athletic. The Twins were reportedly shocked by the Ishbia brothers’ decision to drop out.

Although reports said the brothers could eventually try to assume majority control of the White Sox from existing owner Jerry Reinsdorf, the team pushed back on that idea. The Ishbias also own the NBA’s Suns, which they purchased in December 2022 for $4 billion, with Mat as lead investor and Justin as a minority owner.

Carl Pohlad started his family fortune in the banking industry, and the family has since expanded its business into areas including investment management and commercial real estate. The Ishbias made their money through United Wholesale Mortgage. Mat is still president and CEO, and Justin is on the board.

Kishner believes that, despite the perceived challenges facing the Pohlads, they are likely going to “walk away with a nice chunk of change at the end of the day.”

“Any conversation should start with the general economic principle of supply and demand,” Kishner tells FOS. “There’s a very limited supply of professional sports teams. The Twins are a professional team and they have some significant history. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ultimately get the price they are thinking they deserve.”

There have been a number of other prospective buyers reported, including prominent Twins supporter Marty Davis, CEO of Minnesota-based quartz countertop company Cambria; Glen Taylor, the former Timberwolves owner who was just recently forced to surrender the NBA team following a drawn-out arbitration process that was initiated after he tried to renege on the $1.5 billion sale to a group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore; Jim Hays, founder of Minneapolis-based insurance brokerage Hays Companies; and a group that includes former Twins players Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter.

Representatives for the Ishbias, Davis, Taylor, Hays, and Hunter did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Representatives for Mauer and Morneau could not immediately be reached.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Monica Wright

WNBA Expansion Teams Still in Dark As CBA Fight Drags On

Portland and Toronto won’t know the draft rules until a CBA is signed.
Donald Trump Jr

Kalshi Advisor Donald Trump Jr. Joins Rival Polymarket Board

Polymarket appears to be on the verge of returning to the U.S.

MLB Unveils 2026 Schedule As Big Changes Loom Soon After

Next year’s slate could be among the last in the current format.
Babe Ruth

Man With Babe Ruth’s Name Charged With MLB Identity Thefts

George Herman Ruth, 69, used hundreds of false names and Social Security numbers.

Featured Today

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Veronica Burton

Dildo Markets, Diaper Bidens: Polymarket, Kalshi Push Limits of Hawking Prediction Markets

The companies don’t face the same regulatory risk as traditional sportsbooks.
Apr 13, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) and center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) talk before a face-off against the Boston Bruins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena.
August 19, 2025

Fenway Sports Weighs Penguins Options Amid ‘Serious’ Suitor

FSG previously said it was exploring the sale of a minority stake.
Mo Vaughn
August 22, 2025

How Michael Bloomberg Jump-Started Mo Vaughn’s Business Career

The Red Sox legend had a sprawling housing empire before starting a podcast.
Sponsored

Building A Pro League From Scratch

Front Office Sports and Gainbridge® spotlight what it takes to build a professional women’s soccer league.
Dundon
August 13, 2025

Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon Has Deal to Buy Trail Blazers

The team was put up for sale in May.
Bill Chisholm
August 12, 2025

Wyc Grousbeck Won’t Continue As Lead Celtics Governor After Sale

Two sources said that Grousbeck will keep the CEO title.
John Textor
August 11, 2025

Crystal Palace Loses Final Europa League Appeal After Ownership Snafu

The U.K. soccer club ran afoul of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Tennessee Volunteers forward Igor Miličić Jr. (7) guards Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the second half of a game Sunday, March 30, 2025, during the Elite Eight round of the NCAA March Madness tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Houston defeated Tennessee 69-50.
August 8, 2025

Sportsbooks Still Hesitant to Dive Into Prediction Markets

Sports betting giants are all monitoring the controversial space.