Pierzynski slams Twins owners: 'They have the money, they just don't want to spend it'

This isn't the first time the retired catcher has laid into his former team.

Apr 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of Target Field on opening day in a game between | Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins have rattled off four straight wins over the Chicago White Sox to get to 11-13 after a woeful 20 games to start the season, but even the recent wins are enough to distract people from the fact that the organization shedded around $30 million in payroll from 2023 to 2024.

Former Twins catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who co-hosts Foul Territory, ranted about the team's owners, the Pohlad Family, while chatting with Twins beat writer Aaron Gleeman on Wednesday.

"Why can't they raise payroll? The Pohlads are richer than [co-host Scott Braun]. I don't understand why they can't raise payroll. They sell businesses like every other month for like $300 million," Pierzynski scoffed.

The former World Series-winning catcher then accused the Twins of forcing Dick Bremer out of the TV booth after four decades "because he was making too much."

"They got his money back, they recouped his money," Pierzynski quipped.

"Why can't the Pohlads go out and give [general manager Thad Levine and president of baseball operations Dere Falvey] money and say, 'Hey, keep Sonny Gray, go get another hitter,' and hey, maybe you got a chance to actually get to next level," he continued. "This honestly has been going on since I was there and I came up in 1998. It's always like, 'oh we don't have any money.' They have money, they just don't want to spend it."

This isn't the first time Pierzynski has publicly criticized his former team. Back in January, after the Twins traded Jorge Polanco to the Mariners, Pierzynski ripped the Pohlads, sarcastically saying "they're so broke."