2026 marked the first season of Tom Pohlad as the Twins’ designated control person, with Pohlad becoming his family’s representative in league ownership matters and the franchise’s executive chair. Derek Falvey’s surprising departure as the president of baseball operations in January (and GM Jeremy Zoll becoming the new head of baseball ops) marked the first step in a new direction under Pohlad, who walked back some of the club’s rebuilding direction with a goal towards “playing meaningful baseball in September.”
The Twins were still above the .500 mark at the end of July, but a 21-30 record in the final two months of play dropped Minnesota to 77-85 — a seven-game improvement over 2025, but not a quantum leap ahead. Pohlad made it clear today that more is expected from the club next season, as Pohlad, Zoll, and manager Derek Shelton addressed the media during an end-of-year press conference. (Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Aaron Gleeman, and MLB.com’s Matthew Leach were among the reporters on hand.)
“I understand the patience in this market has run out, and I assure you we have a sense of urgency,” Pohlad said. “Our goal this offseason is to field a roster next spring where making the playoffs isn’t a hope; it’s the expectation that everybody in this room agrees is realistic.”
This goal will come with an increase in payroll, though Pohlad stopped short of saying how much extra spending capacity Zoll will have available. As per MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, Minnesota ranked 22nd of 30 teams in payroll, with just over $109.5MM. The Twins had an Opening Day payroll of around $153.7MM as recently as 2023, but (when Tom Pohlad’s younger brother Joe was control person) the club then cut payroll over the next two offseasons, with Minnesota’s major selloff at the 2025 trade deadline acting as the biggest step yet towards a rebuild. Still, the Twins added extra salaries at this year’s deadline in an attempt to make a push for a playoff berth, before multiple injuries ruined the club’s chances.
“I have said over and over that a $100 million payroll or anything close to that is not sufficient to be consistently competitive and in the playoffs, and so we intend to take the offseason and meaningfully invest,” Pohlad said. “I know everybody in this room wants me to define what meaningfully is, and I understand that that’s a subjective word. But I am confident that [Zoll], if he has conviction about a move that’s going to improve this roster and help us accomplish our goals, that this ownership group is prepared to support him with the financial resources he needs.”
How exactly a spending increase will develop has yet to be seen, but Pohlad said “we are going to be aggressive when free agency starts.” Minnesota could also add salaries via the trade market like at the deadline, and Zoll suggested that the club will look into extending some of its more promising younger players.
Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Victor Caratini, and deadline pickup Jeff Hoffman are the only Twins under contract for 2027, and only Buxton is under contract through 2028. An extension for a Brooks Lee or Luke Keaschall wouldn’t start really getting expensive until several years down the road, so there’s plenty of long-term spending capacity available and even shorter-term dollars depending on how much of an increase Pohlad has in mind for Zoll’s front office.
Nobody expects Minnesota to return to its 2023 spending levels this winter, nor are the Twins suddenly going to be bidding on the biggest names in the free agent market. But, Pohlad’s comments suggest that the door isn’t closed to at least a medium-level splash of a transaction, if the right possibility emerges. Given that the AL Central is perpetually one of the lower-spending divisions in baseball, even a moderate payroll boost might be enough to get the Twins into the hunt for a division title.
Pohlad also noted that Zoll and Shelton will be returning in their roles in 2027, as “they have proven themselves to be the right leaders and the right partners for me.” Pohlad said his family will also continue its majority ownership of the Twins, as the family’s past explorations of a possible were put on hold after three new minority owners bought over 20% of the franchise late last year.
“If you were to ask our limited partners, it’s better than we could have hoped for,” Pohlad said. “I think they are as emotionally invested as our family is, and I think we’ve got big goals and a lot of work to do. It’s going to take some time. We are in this for the long haul.”
In other Twins news, Zoll said Walker Jenkins will undergo a surgery to address bone chips and a bone spur in his right elbow. The procedure appears to be fairly minor, as Zoll said the outfielder will be “full go” for next season. One of baseball’s top prospects and a cornerstone of Minnesota’s future plans, Jenkins made his MLB debut in 2026 and hit .226/.293/.393 over his first 93 plate appearances.
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