MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad reiterated Friday that he believes in his team’s current roster, but also acknowledged that only results on the field will win over skeptical fans who are frustrated after a disappointing last season and a half.
“It’s nearly impossible to sell patience given where we’re at, which is why what happens on the field is the only thing that’s going to matter at the end of the day,” Pohlad told reporters in the dugout at Target Field prior to the team’s home opener. “Now I’ve spent a lot of time by virtue of when I came in and what the opportunities we have or have not had of talking. The fans rightfully still want to see action, and I think now that we’re at the start of the season, you’re going to start to see action on the field. And whether things go well or not, what I’ve committed to is that the fans will continue to see action as a result of whatever happens.”
Pohlad, who took over from his brother Joe last December as the Twins’ principal owner, repeatedly pointed to the club’s young core -- players like Luke Keaschall, Taj Bradley and Mick Abel -- as a reason for excitement. He also said that the Twins are interested in reaching agreements with some of those young players to keep them around for a long time. He declined to divulge any specific conversations, but was emphatic that Minnesota would like to build around those players.
“I’m not going to get into what we have or haven’t done,” Pohlad said. “But we’ve got some exciting young players -- a Taj Bradley, a Luke Keaschall, a Mick Abel -- and we want those guys to be a part of this organization for a long time. Of course we’re going to find every opportunity we can to make them a Twin for as long as we can, but again, it starts with what we’re doing culture-wise first.”
Since taking over, Pohlad has consistently asserted that he believes the 2026 Twins can and will compete in the American League Central. He pointed to the fight that the club has shown over the first week of games as support for that belief.
“It’s about sharing a vision for what we’re trying to accomplish and then it’s about acting on it every single day,” he said. “I think, again, what we’ve done from a culture standpoint, the relationships we’re building in the clubhouse, the leadership changes that you’ve seen, particularly with Derek Shelton at the helm, I think those things matter. And as we go throughout the year here, there’s going to be more and more opportunities for us to put words into action, and ultimately, I think that’s what will make the Luke Keaschalls of the world and everybody else want to be a Twin for a lot longer.”
Still, Pohlad repeatedly came back to the fundamental point: To please an impatient fan base, the Twins need to win.
“I'm not naive to what the most important thing here is, which is winning baseball games,” Pohlad said. “We can sell all the $2 beers we want. We can have all the concerts we want. But people want to see a winner. The product we put on the field is ultimately what is going to drive hope within our fan base.”