Twins Owner Jim Pohlad has been the club’s designated control executive since '09, and last year received a prestigious appointment to MLB’s Exec Council. However, he said yesterday at the '16 AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises Conference that he is still working against pockets of fan opinion that accuse the club of being cheap or not spending enough on payroll. “There is definitely a group of fans that correlate payroll to success. I don’t believe that’s the case,” he said. “Payroll is going to vary based on the team you have and how old they are. We won’t necessarily be at $200 million, and I don’t think we’d fall below $70 million. But it does shift based on the talent you have.” The Twins rank 18th in MLB payroll this year at about $105M, but are suffering through their fifth losing season in the last six years and at 55-96 have the league's worst record this season. “I know there is frustration because I’m a fan, too.”
STRONG START: Pohlad, like team President Dave St. Peter, gave high marks to the performance of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. “I give him an 'A,'” he said. “He heard a lot of things during the selection process [in ’14]. All of the owners had multiple opportunities to give him their views on what needed to change, and he has taken those things to heart. The flip side is that as commissioner you spend a lot of time putting out fires and don’t get to focus on all of those things.” Pohlad did acknowledge that meetings under Manfred’s predecessor Bud Selig “were a lot of fun.” “In a sense, Rob is more businesslike, and runs it more as a professional business than Commissioner Selig did,” he said.
QUICK HITS
* On the club’s search for a new head of baseball operations: Pohlad intends to have a selection “as soon as possible,” but did not indicate a firm timetable. He did say, “We’re looking for a different structure.”
* On player salaries: “I’m much more concerned about the length of some deals than the dollars involved.”
* On what concerns him: Security issues, and competition for fan dollars, particularly in his home Minneapolis market. “We’re as saturated as any market out there.”
* On ongoing labor talks with the MLBPA: "We need to make some meaningful incremental steps. I’m not pushing for any big macro changes. ... I don’t think anybody is going to be silly about it. But we’re looking to make some changes that will move the game forward.”
* On monitoring fan sentiment. “I try not to read a lot of media. And I don’t read social media. I tend to stay away from opinions. I will read the factual stuff.”
* On seeking younger fans: “When I look at Target Field, we need more of them.”
