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From Timberwolves to Twins: Pros and Cons of a Potential Glen Taylor Ownership

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With speculation of who the new owner of the Minnesota Twins could be, the most popular name thrown out there has been Glen Taylor, the current Minnesota Timberwolves owner. 

Recently, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press mentioned Taylor on a short list of local billionaires who could buy the team. According to Forbes.com, Taylor is worth $2.9 billion. He has the finances to back the purchase of another professional sports team. While having a local buyer purchase the Twins is essential to many fans, Taylor purchasing the team wouldn’t come without its flaws.

Pros and Cons of a Potential Glen Taylor Ownership of the Twins

A History of Ownership

In 1994, Glen Taylor was hailed as saving the Timberwolves, as they almost departed Minnesota for New Orleans. After Taylor’s purchase in 1994, the Timberwolves became a flourishing franchise. The late ’90s into the early 2000s were the most successful years of the franchise. Keeping the Timberwolves’ ownership local kept the team in Minnesota and made the franchise relevant.

The Timberwolves’ success flattened out after making the 2004 Western Conference Finals. During this period, Taylor let then-GM Kevin McHale trade Kevin Garnett, who, at that time, was the best player the franchise ever had. The following years were frustrating for Timberwolves fans and could foreshadow frustration for Twins fans if something like this were allowed under a Taylor ownership.

Staying Put

After the Pohlad family announced they would explore selling the Twins, some fans immediately worried about someone purchasing the team to move them. Unlike the situation in Oakland, the Twins have one of the newer ballparks in MLB, Target Field. This includes 15 more years on their signed lease of the ballpark.

Target Field resides in Hennepin County, and the county paid $355 million to build it in Minneapolis. Hennepin County leaders are trying to work out a deal to extend the Twins lease’ with Target Field another 20 years on top of their current lease, keeping the team in the Twin Cities at least through the 2059 season. 

Timberwolves Sale

The elephant in the room with Glen Taylor is his current situation with Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore, and the recently added Michael Bloomberg. For those not familiar with the situation, Taylor had an agreement with Rodriguez and Lore in 2021 to sell the Timberwolves. In March of 2024, Taylor said the sale was off due to a financial violation, which Rodriguez and Lore disagreed with. The partners have since added Michael Bloomberg to their group to ensure they have the proper financial backing. There is an arbitration hearing on November 4th to settle the dispute.

Taylor’s financial dispute with the Rodriguez-Lore-Bloomberg group is a red flag for fans. Marketwatch.com has the Timberwolves’ value increase from $1.5 billion in 2021 to $2.5 billion in 2024. Is Taylor looking to get out of the deal because of a poor business decision? With many Twins fans already upset with the Pohlad family for treating the team as a business to keep spending down, as opposed to spending money on free agents, this could further worry them that they would have a similar situation with Taylor.

Will it Happen?

Glen Taylor’s fate as a possible Twins owner can only be clear once the arbitration hearing decides who will own the Timberwolves. His past business practices and management style have drawn criticism from Timberwolves fans for years. Concern may linger for Twins fans who worry Taylor’s past practices will hinder their favorite franchise. As speculation continues, all fans can do is eagerly await the fate of their team.

 

Photo Credit: © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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