The New Twinsby Josh Sabo
This offseason is a prime example as to why Twins fans should be excited to have their own stadium. The Twin franchise finally showed that they were willing to raise their payroll. According to Joe Christensen from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are expected to start the season at around a $100 million, placing the Twins, in the top half of the MLB in payroll for the first time since 1989. The Twins sudden willingness to spend more is best exemplified with the Orlando Hudson signing, and the ongoing Joe Mauer extension plans.
Some may attribute the Twins increased budget to the fact that Jim Pohlad, who inherited the team from his deceased father, may be willing to spend money on the franchise. Much like when Rocky Wirtz inherited the Chicago Blackhawks from his father. However, the more likely reason is the fact that that the Twins are expecting increased revenue from their newly built stadium, Target field. The new stadium guarantees the Twins will get the necessary resources to sway away from their low budget management. Additionally, owning the stadium gives the Pohlad family the power to host an assortment non-baseball related activities ranging from weddings to stores and restaurants which would be available year round. As a matter of fact, according to Alison Kaplan from Twin Cities dot com, a hundred events have already been sold with inquires of 250 more. With all that in mind, plus the money Target is giving for the naming rights it’s hard to imagine the Twins remaining a small budget team, who has to play money ball to survive. The scary thing is that the twins have been competing so well over the years without the luxury of being able to sign a star player or make a big trade. By signing Orlando Hudson, the Twins sent a clear message to their fans that they are willing to reinvest their earnings into the team. Additionally the move, improves their lineup, which ranked fifth in the league in runs scored a year ago. The quality, of their lineup alone promises to keep them competitive, which is sure to attract fans to the new stadium, which in turn should mean the Twins can spend even more. While the Twins may never be able to match the spending capabilities of teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, they should at least be able to spend as much as the St. Louis Cardinals and the Seattle Mariners. Of course, this prediction is dependent on if the Pohlad family reinvests fifty percent of the teams’ profits. In conclusion, Twins fan’s, have a lot of reasons to rejoice over the opening of Target Field, because Target Field brings forth a new era in Minnesota baseball. The days of the Twins trading away their all-stars seem to be over. Twins fans can sleep well knowing that their core players, might actuality have a shot at retiring as Twins and that their team can finally use free agency to their advantage.
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