Pohlad family announces plans to sell Minnesota Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — The Pohlad family announced Thursday it will “explore a sale” of the Minnesota Twins.
Carl Pohlad bought the team in 1984 and the family has owned it ever since.
“For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul,” Executive Chair Joe Pohlad said in a statement. “However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.”
Joe Pohlad added it’s the family’s goal to “find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins.”  
The Twins finished just above .500 this season and missed the playoffs after significant payroll cuts last offseason. The team parted ways with general manager Thad Levine after the season, but announced manager Rocco Baldelli will return next year.
Before the Pohlads, the Twins were owned by Calvin Griffith and his family. Griffith moved the franchise from Washington to the Twin Cities in 1960. In the 1980s, Griffith threatened to move the team to Florida, prompting Carl Pohlad’s purchase to keep the Twins in Minnesota.
The Pohlads’ announcement comes months after Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor reneged on a sale of those franchises to a group headed by baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore. Taylor alleged the group failed to meet a funding deadline, while the other side disputes his claim. The two sides are headed to arbitration to settle the disagreement.
Read the full statement on the intended Twins sale from Joe Pohlad below:
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