Twins, Pohlads Would Fall $65M Short of Proposed MLB Payroll Floor

A new proposal from Major League Baseball could see the Pohlads forced to spend $65 million in payroll more than they're spending this season — and they'd have to reached a minimum payroll threshold every season ahead.

The proposal was sent to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) as the league and its union work towards a new CBA before a potential work stoppage in 2027. The current CBA expires at the end of the year, and a new one is seemingly far off as owners want to institute a salary cap for the first time in league history. The union has long fought against a cap, and remains opposed to the idea.

Under the proposal, teams would not be able to exceed $245.3 million in salary spending, starting in 2027, according to numerous reports. As part of the incentive to get players to come to the table on a salary cap, the league also proposed a salary floor requiring teams to maintain a salary spend of $171.2 million. Currently, 12 teams would need to increase their payrolls to meet the floor, including the Twins.

According to Spotrac, the Twins' current total payroll is $105,246,691, which is the ninth-lowest in the league. That would require the Pohlads to dish out around an additional $65 million just to meet the floor.

The Twins have never had a payroll over $170 million. According to Spotrac, the most the Twins ever spent on a roster is $156.1 million in 2023. Minnesota made the playoffs that year, finally breaking its two-decade-long playoff series win drought.

However, the ensuing offseason saw Twins ownership slash payroll, chopping $25 million in spending from 2023 to 2024. Minnesota ended up suffering an epic collapse late in the 2024 season. They missed the playoffs and have been on the struggle bus ever since.

Twins' total payroll the last 15 seasons (according to Spotrac):

2011: $113.5 million (11th most)
2012: $107.9 million (13th most)
2013: $81.3 million (8th lowest)
2014: $87.4 million (7th lowest)
2015: $106.2 million (10th lowest)
2016: $97.2 million (8th lowest)
2017: $121 million (12th lowest)
2018: $115.5 million (10th lowest)
2019: $125.2 million (13th lowest)
2020: $59.6 million (14th lowest)
2021: $121.4 million (14th lowest)
2022: $150.3 million (15th most)
2023: $156.1 million (16th most)
2024: $131.2 million (12th lowest)
2025: $129.6 million (11th lowest)
2026: $105.2 million (9th lowest)

Since taking control of the Twins' organization in December, Tom Pohlad has repeatedly stated his desire for the Twins to "be competitive in 2026," adding that if the team is playing meaningful baseball in September, "we're gonna be in position to grow payroll the following year. He has admitted the decision to slash payroll following the 2023 season was a mistake.

So far, though, he has yet to back up those words and aspirations with any meaningful spending.

The Twins, with a 27-30 record, are third in the AL Central and just a half-game out of a wild card spot. A weak American League has seen the Twins technically remain in the race for a postseason spot despite being below .500 as June approaches.

Such a drastic uptick in payroll would require additional lines of revenue for the Twins, who have been particularly hurt in recent years with the bankruptcies of their regional television partners. The organization has aired its games on the league-owned Twins.TV, but the revenue stream compared to what it was in the FanDuel Sports Network era is far less.

Part of the proposal from team owners would see a centralized fund for all local media, with money evenly distributed among the 30 teams. There would also be a 50/50 revenue split between the league and the players, which could see the cap and floor grow in the future.

While talks of a payrool floor and ceiling are enticing for fans of teams who have long underspent compared to their peers, the reality remains that the union is staunchly opposed to the idea. The last time baseball tried to institute a cap, in 1994, it led to a seven-and-a-half-month players' strike that saw the World Series canceled for the first time in 90 years.

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