Twins 5 pack: Ownership situation, Rocco Baldelli's job status and Royce Lewis' injury issues are all front and center
As the Twins get set to open the season on Thursday in St. Louis, here are five things that will be in focus in the coming months.
The Twins will open the season on Thursday in St. Louis trying to erase the stench of a 12-27 finish that took them from 17 games over .500 and two back in the AL Central to 82-80 and 10.5 back to end 2024.
Manager Rocco Baldelli and his players have expressed optimism throughout spring training — what else are they going to do? — and the starting rotation and bullpen appear to be solid. But there remain plenty of unknowns, and injuries already have become a concern.
There also is the fact the franchise was put up for sale by the Pohlad family after last season and no deal appears close.
Let’s examine five issues facing the Twins.
A SLOW PROCESS
Keeping a lid on information in professional sports can be difficult because usually there are so many people (agents, coaches, players, staff members) in the know. But that isn’t the case when it comes to a club being sold.
There just aren’t that many potential leaks because there aren’t that many people kept in the loop. What we know is that Allen & Company, a New York-based investment bank, is handling the sale of the Twins and the estimated value is between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.
The Pohlads likely are looking for something north of the $1.725 billion the Baltimore Orioles were sold for last March. The most information unearthed came when it was reported Justin Ishbia was interested in purchasing the club, but he then turned his focus to buying more shares of the Chicago White Sox in late February.
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported the Twins had hoped to have a new owner picked by Opening Day, but now the sale could stretch into August or September. There also is the chance the Pohlads could pull the club off the market, although that could be a public relations disaster given how excited fans have been about the Pohlads leaving the baseball business.
That excitement will grow if the Twins get off to a bad start.
COULD BALDELLI BE IN TROUBLE?
The Twins have won the AL Central three times in Baldelli’s six seasons as manager and gone 1-3 in playoff series. Baldelli’s teams are 224-163 (.579) in those three years, but they are 233-253 (.479) in his other three seasons. That includes a last-place finish in 2021.
The Twins turned over their coaching staff on the hitting side after last season so that served as the necessary scapegoat for an epic collapse. Could Baldelli be next if the Twins struggle or collapse again?
That seems unlikely given that Derek Falvey, who hired Baldelli, gained power this offseason as he added president of business operations to his president of baseball operations title. Dave St. Peter, the Twins’ longtime president, has moved into an advisory role.
But there is one thing that could cause a drastic change to the Twins’ brain trust. That would be a new owner who has his or her own idea about how a team should run — especially if the Twins are sold during the season and things aren’t going particularly well.
But as long as Falvey is running the show, it’s unlikely Baldelli will be on the hot seat.
SO MUCH FOR STARTING THE SEASON HEALTHY
After years of watching Byron Buxton fail to fulfill his potential because of various injuries, it’s now Royce Lewis who can’t seem to avoid the IL.
Lewis, 25, has torn his ACL twice and also dealt with injuries to his oblique, adductor, quadriceps and hamstring. Last season, Lewis hit a home run on Opening Day in Kansas City but sustained a serve right quad strain as he tried to go from first to third on a double in the third inning. He didn’t return to the lineup until June 4.