Business insider says Twins' $1.7 billion asking price is 'not an easy sell'

The Pohlads announced in October 2024 that they were looking to sell the Twins after 40 years of ownership

May 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minneapolis and St. Paul are featured in a display in the outfield of the home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field. / © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Pohlads asking too much for the Twins? According to one sports business insider, the alleged $1.7 billion price tag may be too much for potential buyers.

In comments to Sportsnaut, CNBC senior sports reporter Michael Ozanian said the asking price is "not an easy sell." He believes the reported $425 million operating debt the Twins are allegedly working with is built into the sale price — and he seems to be suggesting that the debt should be subtracted from the overall value of the franchise.

In his yearly MLB valuations, Ozanian pegged the Twins' at $1.65 billion, which ranks 24th of 30 MLB teams. Valuations from Sportico and Forbes have pegged the Twins at $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion.

“That debt would be included as part of that $1.7 billion. I just think $1.7 billion is not an easy sell,” Ozanian told Sportsnaut. “One of the way teams can help their baseball related revenue is by non-baseball events they can put on in their ballpark. Like concerts and things like that. It’s tougher to do in Minnesota because of the weather. It’s not a long summer out there."

The Pohlads announced they were putting the organization up for sale in October 2024. Bob Nightengale of the USA Today reported recently that the Pohlads pushed the bid deadline from April 1 to mid-May, giving interested buyers an extra 45 days to come up with bids.

Ozanian went on further to say that Pohlads "probably" won't get $1.7 billion for the Twins unless the league gets a "better economic structure in the next CBA." However, the current MLB collective bargaining agreement doesn't expire until December 2026.

The Twins, like many teams across Major League Baseball, have been hit hard by the collapse of the regional sports networks. Minnesota ended its longstanding partnership with Diamond Sports Group, which operates FanDuel Sports Network, after the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Starting with the 2025 season, the Twins elected to broadcast games directly to consumers via the Twins.TV streaming network. That stripped tens of millions in revenue from the team.

Major League Baseball has reportedly been mulling the idea of taking all television broadcasts in-house and selling them in packages to the highest bidder. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly plans to have all team streaming rights under the league's roof when the league's national television rights come up in 2028.

For now, Ozanian is just an industry expert with an opinion and he's not dealing with hard facts about what the Pohlads will get if they sell the tema.

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