Carl Pohlad and the Minnesota Twins: Four decades of highs and lows

Forty years after Carl Pohlad bought the Twins, the Pohlad family announced Thursday it intended to sell the club.

“It’s our objective to find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins,” Twins executive Joe Pohlad, Carl’s grandson, said in a statement Thursday.

A look at some of the most memorable moments from the Pohlad family’s ownership over the past 40 years:

In a pregame ceremony at the Metrodome, Pohlad celebrated his purchase of the franchise and became the second owner in Twins history. Pohlad, who built his fortune in banking, paid former owner Calvin Griffith $44 million — $133.3 million in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation. The sale was officially completed in July 1984.

Griffith, who moved the team to Minnesota in 1961, was unpopular when he sold the team because he had no major sources of outside income, and he couldn’t compete financially with other teams.

“Calvin tells me they’re one or two players away being a real contender,” Pohlad told reporters at the time. “I want to tell you I don’t believe in being No. 2, 3, 4 or 5. I believe in being No. 1, and we’re going to do everything possible to be No. 1.”

Donald Trump, according to Jon Kerr’s 1990 biography about Griffith, “Calvin: Baseball’s Last Dinosaur,” offered more money than Pohlad.

Pohlad, who played college football at Gonzaga, was a part of a group that purchased a 46% share of the Vikings for $25 million from Max Winter. It was contested in court because other Vikings owners claimed they had right of first refusal to buy Winter’s stock in the team. A Hennepin County district judge ruled in Pohlad’s favor.

“In the past, I could have pushed either buying the Philadelphia Eagles or the New Orleans Saints, but one of the reasons I didn’t is that I didn’t want to jeopardize my chances of having the Vikings someday,” Pohlad said.

Pohlad’s group sold its shares in December 1991 for $52 million.

After winning 85 games in the regular season, the Twins topped the Detroit Tigers in five games in the American League Championship Series and won a World Series title in seven games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

“It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Pohlad said after the World Series victory parade.

In a World Series thriller, the Twins outlasted Atlanta in a seven-game series with a 1-0, 10-inning victory in the decisive game following a 95-win regular season.

There was immediate speculation about whether Pohlad would consider selling the team after winning the World Series because he sought a buyer for a 40% share in the club.

“I’m not looking to make a barrel of money, or make 8-10 percent return,” he said. “I would just like to break even. No, I haven’t thought about [selling]. ... But people have to understand, we’re in a small market and we have a cap even on what I’m willing to contribute to this community to keep baseball here.”

Three years after Pohlad announced his intentions to seek a new ballpark, Pohlad threatened to sell the club to Don Beaver, a North Carolina investor who wanted to move the team to Greensboro or Charlotte.

“I’ve done everything I can to keep baseball here,” Pohlad said. “Nobody seems to care whether the Twins stay or not.”

The potential deal fell apart when North Carolina voters rejected a stadium referendum in May 1998. Another attempt to sell the team to a group led by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Wild managing partner Robert Naegele Jr. in 1999 was stopped when St. Paul voters rejected a sales tax increase to fund a new stadium.

Without optimism for a new ballpark, Pohlad could’ve received a $150 million buyout from fellow baseball owners if the Twins were one of the two teams contracted from the league. Owners voted 28-2 to kill the Twins and Montreal Expos.

Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump issued an injunction because of a lease agreement at the Metrodome and the team’s importance to the community. Crump said it would cause “irreparable harm” if the lease were not fulfilled.

Pohlad obtained government funding for a new open-air stadium, Target Field, which opened in 2010.

“A new stadium will mean a better place to play, and a chance to put some better players on the field with the additional revenue,” Pohlad said.

Pohlad died at 93. One of his sons, Jim, was already the Twins’ CEO and took over as the controlling owner. Jim Pohlad held that role until 2022 when Joe Pohlad began running the club’s day-to-day operations.

“For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul,” Joe Pohlad said in his statement Thursday. “This team is woven into the fabric of our lives, and the Twins community has become an extension of our family.”