Minnesota Twins owner Tom Pohlad has bought into the team's plans to compete in 2027.
The Minnesota Twins ended their season on a strong note, earning a series win over the Texas Rangers this weekend to force their AL opponent to join them on the couch as the 12 remaining teams jockey for the World Series trophy.
Moreover, the Twins are in for some good news heading into the offseason with controlling owner Tom Pohlad promising to increase the team's payroll for 2027.
"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, according to MLB.com.
He added: "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 [general manager Jeremy 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."
Minnesota adhered to a payroll of just over $115 million this season, according to Spotrac. However, that figure is well below several teams in the AL including the Boston Red Sox who are currently competing in the Wild Card round thanks to their $198,212,037 commitment to player salaries.
The division rival Detroit Tigers also come to mind with their $199,581,991 figure even though they, like Minnesota, missed out on the postseason.
While Minnesota is not in a market where they can approach the New York Yankees' approximate $294 million payroll, simply committing to more than roughly $115 million in salary will be a big step in the right direction given that they have ace Joe Ryan and center fielder Byron Buxton poised to come back healthier and ready to make a push for the playoffs.
The team also has plenty of younger pieces to build around such as Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis who remain under 30 and have shown promising signs of taking a step forward in the coming years.
If Minnesota continues investing into their pitching staff like they did this season with the trades for starting pitcher Dean Kremer and relievers A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman at the Aug. 3 deadline, they should be in good shape to contend in an AL Central that may be wide open next year.
For now though, Pohlad, Zoll and the rest of the Twins' front office will turn their attention to retaining notable free agents like catcher Ryan Jeffers and veteran designated hitter Josh Bell.
