The MLB trade deadline passed at the end of July. There was much anticipation in the air - would the Minnesota Twins trade for a pitcher that could make a difference in the playoff race this season?
The answer was no. They’re apparently on a tight budget this year. In fact, before the season even got close to starting, the Pohlad family, who owns the baseball club, said they had to slash spending this year, in part, I suppose, because of an uncertain television deal that has been a joke.
I understand trying to operate a professional sports franchise is like any business. Owners are trying to make money. It’s just harder to look at pinching millions off the payroll when the Pohlad family is worth nearly four billion dollars.
It’s tricky in pro sports. If you’re competitive, people tend to come out to the ballpark and spend money to watch a good team. Credit to the Twins for putting together a team that looks to make the playoffs and has a chance to make some noise. But there’s a difference between having a playoff team and having a legitimate World Series contender. That is not the Twins right now. They are a team that has trouble beating the best teams in the league.
A big problem with the Twins is the aforementioned television deal. There are a lot of us who can’t watch the team on television. This diminishes interest, and it’s not going to make those of us who live outstate attend more games. Instead, interest is waning, though many people keep an eye on the periphery. Still, if the Twins had made a splash at the trade deadline, it might have heightened interest and put more butts in seats.
Across town, the Minnesota Vikings are preparing for what looks to be a rebuilding season. But they will sell out every home game. They are spending money to make sure people stay interested. This team could go 5-12 this year and folks would still be excited. Justin Jefferson is the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. They’ve also signed Christian Darrisaw, an important offensive lineman, to an extension.
They invested a high draft pick on a young quarterback, JJ McCarthy, and another on a defensive stud, Dallas Turner. These two might take some time to develop, but football fans are on tenterhooks to see what could happen in a year or two. Zygi Wilf, the owner of the Purple, has a net worth of $1.3 billion, much less than the Twins ownership. But he’s shown, time and time again, that putting money into this team will reap benefits. It helps that the NFL has a salary cap, but the Vikings have shown a willingness to hit that cap.
In the NBA, you can go over the salary cap and then pay a penalty. That’s what the Minnesota Timberwolves have been doing and will do again next season. They are all in on trying to win a title. The salary cap this season will be $140 million. The Wolves will be paying over $190 million in salaries. That will result in a $36 million dollar penalty for Glen Taylor, or whoever ends up owning the franchise. You don’t put out that kind of money if you don’t believe this team can win.
And it showed last season as the basketball team made a run to the Western Conference finals. People showed up to Target Center, especially during the playoff run. That meant more money for the franchise to help pay those bills. Just figure they make at least $1 million each home game. At least. Mix that with TV deals and advertising in the stadium, and it’s a lot of money.
You have to spend money to make money. Frustration grows with the Twins, who haven’t shown that propensity. Any sport is hard to predict who will win it all. Neither of the Twins’ World Series titles were foretold by anyone, and they weren’t even favorites once they made the playoffs either year, maybe not even once they were in the World Series. But in both years, they invested in free agents and made deals at the trade deadline that were important in the end results.
So which team will have their investment, or lack thereof, pay off first? Which Minnesota pro sports team will hoist a trophy first and show the path to how to do so to the other teams in our state? Will it actually take a lot of money, or will a team like the Twins go on a hot streak come playoff time and prove me and so many other pundits wrong?
Naw. The next champion will be the Minnesota Lynx. Bank on it.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is gorblimey, which means an expression of surprise and dismay, as in, “Twins fans everywhere said, ‘Gorblimey!’ when the trade deadline passed without a new starting pitcher on the squad.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!