The 2025 Twins Turkey of the Year is a runaway: Joe Pohlad and the Pohlad family. A year that began with the club being listed for sale, saw a mid-season bullpen purge that precipitated a 19–35 finish and attendance lows not seen since 2000, included the early-2025 retirement of longtime president Dave St. Peter, and ended with ownership disclosing roughly $500 million in debt and announcing two unnamed minority partners reportedly committing about $250 million each. The consequence: ownership credibility is shaken, the roster was hollowed out, and fans are demanding a clear plan: spend to compete or sell.
The case for the winner
- Team listed for sale then taken off the market The Pohlad family listed the club in October 2024 and removed it from the market in August 2025. That reversal — with few public details — left supporters and local media scrambling for clarity.
- A deadline purge that broke the bullpen and the season The front office traded most of the bullpen and roughly a third of the roster at the 2025 trade deadline. The aftermath was brutal: the club finished the last two months 19–35 and fan attendance dropped to historic lows going back to 2000.
- Debt disclosure with scarce detail Ownership disclosed roughly $500 million in debt and announced two new minority investor groups would join the ownership structure; the groups remain unnamed and the terms undisclosed.
- Leadership churn and power consolidation President Dave St. Peter retired early in 2025. Derek Falvey was given responsibility for both baseball and business operations, an increasingly rare and risky structure in MLB. The team fired manager Rocco Baldelli the day after the season ended and hired former Twins coach Derek Shelton, who had been passed over when Baldelli was originally hired.
- Erosion of trust The sequence — team for sale, mass trades, delisting, large undisclosed debt, unnamed partners, and consolidated executive power — produced a credibility gap between ownership and the fanbase.
Fan sentiment — blunt and urgent
Fans aren’t asking for sympathy; they’re issuing an ultimatum: the Pohlad’s should either spend what it takes to field a competitive team or sell to someone who will. After the payroll purge, the late-season collapse, and attendance plunging to levels not seen since 2000, protests at games have become common and chants demanding a sale are no longer fringe behavior. That anger is grounded in consequences: fewer wins, emptier stands, and a long list of unanswered questions about who the new investors are and what they actually committed to do.
The present reality for the franchise
- On-field: a depleted roster, competitive collapse down the stretch, and a new manager in Derek Shelton.
- Front office: Derek Falvey now oversees both baseball and business operations.
- Financial: roughly $500 million in disclosed debt, with two minority partners reportedly committing about $250 million each.
- Fan engagement: attendance at historic lows and a fanbase sharply skeptical of ownership’s commitment to winning.
- Communication: ownership has offered high-level statements but few specifics on partner identities, capital structure, or a time-bound plan.
Two realistic paths forward assuming the Pohlad’s remain majority owners
- Payroll-first
- Core idea: trade more top payroll pieces to rapidly reduce payroll and service debt.
- Short term: faster debt relief and lower payroll obligations.
- Medium term: deeper competitive decline, longer rebuild, worsening fan trust and attendance.
- Competitive-rebuild (recommended hybrid)
- Core idea: protect the best, controllable starters; add low-cost controllable talent; rebuild around prospects.
- Short term: slower debt reduction, but gives fans hope and preserves on-field credibility.
- Medium term: faster restoration of attendance and franchise value if progress is visible and steady.
Can Derek Falvey handle both baseball and business?
- The challenge Combining baseball and business leadership concentrates authority but splits focus; MLB’s modern norm separates those roles because each demands distinct expertise.
- Why it might work Falvey understands roster construction and can move quickly with unified authority in a crisis.
- Why it could fail The dual role risks neglecting revenue generation or player development unless strong deputies are immediately hired.
- Practical recommendation Falvey should remain strategic integrator but promptly appoint a seasoned business COO/CFO and a GM-level deputy for day-to-day baseball operations.
What the new minority partners could mean if they each invest ~$250M
- Best case — real, unrestricted capital pays down debt, stabilizes the balance sheet, preserves payroll flexibility, and funds a hybrid rebuild that protects controllable starters while accelerating prospect development.
- Worst case — conditioned capital, loans, or investor demands for cost cutting could accelerate another sell-off and prolong competitive decline.
- Governance matters — names, ownership percentages, board seats, and governance terms will determine whether these investors are stabilizers or drivers of further austerity.
Recommended three-year plan the Pohlad’s should announce now
- Disclose the minority partners’ identities, commitments, ownership percentages, and governance roles within 60 days.
- Publish a three-year roadmap with payroll bands, prospect milestones, and a timeline for returning to a competitive window.
- Protect the best controllable starters this winter; trade truly expendable, high-cost veterans for multiple controllable assets.
- Increase budgeted investment in player development, international scouting, and analytics.
- Hire a COO/CFO and a GM-level deputy to support Falvey and ensure operational focus.
- Launch visible fan engagement initiatives to arrest attendance declines while on-field progress begins.
What fans should watch next
- Who the unnamed minority partners are and the legal terms of their investments.
- Whether Falvey appoints senior deputies for business and baseball operations.
- Which players the front office markets publicly: are deals aimed at payroll relief or prospect acquisition?
- Early hires and budget allocations for player development and scouting.
- Any clear, date-driven milestones from ownership about payroll and competitive targets.
“We were promised stewardship; instead we got sale signals, a payroll purge—and answers that never came.”
The Twins Turkey of the Year in 2025 is Joe Pohlad. This is the first time we have had a Twins Turkey of the Year take home the honors two years in a row.
Previous Twins Turkey of the year winners
2021 – Derek Falvey & Thad Levine
2018 – Third Baseman Miguel Sano
2017 – Derek Falvey & Thad Levine
2016 – The entire 2016 Minnesota Twins team
2013 – President Dave St. Peter
2010 – Third Baseman Brendan Harris (can’t seem to find this one)
