Justin Ishbia unlikely to be next Twins owner

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Justin Ishbia, the billionaire financier who had approached several former Twins players to be minority partners in a much-rumored effort to buy the Twins, will instead increase his minority stake in the White Sox, according to news reports on Friday.

Ishbia, co-owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns with his older brother, Mat, has owned a small percentage of the White Sox for several years, and has said publicly his ambition is to become the majority owner of an MLB team. Bloomberg News reported in December that Ishbia was investigating the Twins with the intention of making an offer.

But the Ishbias live in Chicago, where their private-equity company, Shore Capital Partners, is based, so a purchase of the White Sox would seemingly have more appeal. The White Sox are not currently for sale, but majority owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who purchased the team in 1981, will turn 89 on Tuesday.

Reinsdorf has given his blessing to Ishbia’s plan to buy out other minority partners, the New York Times reported Friday, but the team denied that any long-term agreement has been reached to give the brothers a controlling interest.

For the Twins, Ishbia’s decision removes one potential bidder from the process, which the Pohlad family, which has owned the Twins since 1984, initiated in October. The franchise is believed to be worth at least $1.5 billion, but no other potential bidders have been publicly identified.

Twins President Dave St. Peter, without mentioning Ishbia by name, downplayed the effect that the decision would have.

“I know there is a lot of continued speculation. I kind of put it in the noise bucket,” St. Peter said during the WCCO radio broadcast of the Twins’ Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against Atlanta at Hammond Stadium. “The process continues. We don’t really get into the mix on confirming who is in or who is out.”

St. Peter said “there is a lot of interest” among potential buyers,” but added that “there really is not a definitive timetable toward making a decision. … There are a multitude of different [potential] outcomes.”

Luke Keaschall, one of the Twins’ most highly regarded prospects, can’t play the infield yet because he’s still recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent on his right elbow last August.

But he can still hit.

In his first at-bat in a major league exhibition game, Keaschall laced the first pitch he saw into right field, driving in two runs and leading the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Braves to open spring training play.

“It was cool. I just went up there, he hung a changeup, and I just got it out front,” said the 2023 second-round pick, who came up as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, with the bases loaded, two outs and the Twins trailing 1-0. “I’m just trying to find a way to score a run. I saw the ball really well.”

Manager Rocco Baldelli liked what he saw from the 22-year-old. “Nice short stroke. He’s got a swing that’s very direct to the ball,” Baldelli said. “He’s a good athlete. He’s going to be an exciting player to watch. A very nice intro for him.”

Zebby Matthews pitched two scoreless innings and Jhoan Duran, Michael Tonkin and Louie Varland each pitched a scoreless inning. Justin Topa gave up the Braves’ only run, giving up three consecutive singles in the third inning.

Hall of Famers Tony Oliva and Rod Carew took the Twins lineup cards to home plate for the lineup exchange before the game, and they were met there by the Braves’ two-time National League MVP Dale Murphy.

Saturday’s game featured the first ball/strike challenge in Twins history, when catcher Christian Vázquez asked for a first-inning review of a 2-2 slider from Matthews that umpire Manny Gonzalez called ball three.

The new system, being tested by major leaguers during spring training, quickly ruled that the pitch had passed over the very outer edge of the plate, and Atlanta’s Garrett Cooper was called out on strikes.

“We also saw a lot of pitches that were close that no one wanted to challenge, which was interesting,” Baldelli said. “It’s probably a good thing for our game. The game does seem to keep moving, and when guys feel confident about something, they challenge it. That’s the way it’s meant to work.”