Twins ownership committed to "long haul" and say payroll increases should come for 2027 - if there's a season

Despite the late-season swoon, Twins first-year Manager Derek Shelton says he's excited about gains that were made this year as well as what the future holds.

"You look out the last couple of weeks of the season and you're seeing (Luke) Keaschall who is 25, and Walker (Jenkins) is 21 and (Emmanuel Rodriguez) is 23, and, (Allen) Roden's playing some of those days, and Brooks (Lee), he's 25," said Shelton. "Like, that's the good core that we have to build around, and I was very pleased with how we were able to get those guys acclimated to the big leagues. And I think that's gonna be really important for us walking into next year."

The Twins ended the regular season with 77 wins and 85 losses, and it was the first year under the leadership of Tom Pohlad, who said he expected the team to be competitive and in the hunt for a postseason berth.

After the Pohlad family explored a sale after last season, Tom Pohlad again recommitted to the long haul meeting with the media Tuesday.

"Yeah, I've enjoyed this role," Pohlad began. "I can't say that my enjoyment in the role is the sole reason for how long we intend to be owners, but I can tell you that we're long-term oriented, I think."

A big part of the now longer term commitment was an offseason influx of money from limited partners, including two investment groups and Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leopold.

Pohlad has also committed to increasing the team's payroll next year, saying the current payroll number of approximately $114 million isn't enough to compete.

"I'll speak for, you know, the, the partners as well, I think our partnership is working exceptionally well," Pohlad added. "I think if you were to ask our limited partners, it's better than they could have hoped for. I think they are as emotionally invested as our family is, and I think that we've got big goals and a lot of work to do. And it's going to take some time, and so we are in this for the long haul."

The Twins and the rest of MLB now enters an offseason with major question marks. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement with the player's union expires on Dec. 1, and reports so far are not positive on reaching a deal by that time - perhaps drifting well into 2027 and threatening the start of next season.

Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday that the Twins do have a plan to go after free agents when that opens up after the World Series. But how the market shakes out without a new CBA in place will make it difficult for both teams and players to settle on new contracts.

A similar situation occurred in 2021, and it took 99 days, well into spring training, for a new deal to be reached. That led to a frenzy of contract agreements and player signings, including a delay of opening day.