Twins will remain a family enterprise

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Jim Pohlad talked about the state of the Twins during a press conference at the Twins stadium construction office in downtown Minneapolis on Friday.

Jim Pohlad says a new generation has the interest and is building the skills required to keep the team in the family for the foreseeable future.

By DENNIS BRACKIN, Star Tribune

Last update: March 1, 2008 - 8:51 AM

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The Pohlad family is committed to long-term ownership of the Twins, Jim Pohlad said Friday during an informal state-of-the-franchise briefing with local media.

Pohlad, son of Twins owner Carl Pohlad, 92, has clearly taken a more active role in running the ballclub. Asked his specific title, Jim replied: "Owner works.'' (For the record, it's CEO of Twins Sports.)

Jim appeared relaxed -- frequently displaying a dry wit -- during a one-hour session. He defended the decisions that led to the departures of Torii Hunter and Johan Santana while admitting that fan criticism over a reduced 2008 player payroll is a concern.

Jim stated flatly that the family has no intention of selling the franchise in the foreseeable future, adding "whether or not the fans want to hear that, or not.'' Jim said the next generation of Pohlads has expressed interest in keeping the ballclub. Jim's brother, Bob, has three sons, and the two oldest -- Tom and Joe -- have both held baseball jobs. Tom worked with the Major League Baseball office in New York, and Joe currently is working in the Twins' baseball operations department.

"We have another generation coming up that really enjoys the association with baseball,'' Jim said.

Pohlad, accompanied by Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports, discussed a wide array of topics, including:

• The failure to keep Hunter and Santana: "I'll put a term out there: legacy contracts. That would be how [potential deals for Hunter and Santana] would be viewed. For the Twins to offer any players so-called legacy contracts, we'd have to look long and hard at that, and it would have to be a real special situation. ... We're not in a position to do that on a regular basis.''

• Did he consider shelling out megabucks for Santana as a goodwill gesture to fans? "In a word, no. ... There's more productive ways to make a gesture than paying a huge salary over a long period of time to one player.''

Like what? "I'd rather give it away to charity.''

The statement drew laughter from media members. Pohlad did not crack a smile. "I'm not saying that funny. That's true. You just don't go out and throw away money.''

• Of having a current player payroll below $60 million, almost $15 million below last season: "The payroll is not yet set.''

He said he's open to adding to the payroll if there is a deal, or signing, that would improve the club.

On other topics, he disputed that this would be a rebuilding season, confirmed the payroll could reach $100 million in a new stadium and maintained that a roof for a new stadium was a luxury, not a necessity.

"From May through September, our climate is no different than any of the other northern-tier cities,'' he said. "Once again, that's money that would be much more productive going elsewhere.''

One lesson he says he has learned from his father: patience.

"That's genetic, I think,'' he said. "I really believe that's one of the positive things about the Twins, is that we've had patience. You can't win all the time. And if you want to blame somebody for not winning, blame yourself.''