The front office agreed to deals with Danny Coulombe and Harrison Bader for a combined $9.25 million. While these moves improve the team’s bullpen and outfield depth, they also raise questions about the organization’s payroll strategy.

The Pohlads, long known for their measured spending habits, slashed payroll from $158 million in 2023 to $130 million last season.

Early indications were that the 2025 payroll would remain around that mark, yet the Twins currently sit at an estimated $147 million.

So, what changed?

One possibility is that ownership has decided to loosen the purse strings slightly, in an effort to keep the roster competitive.

After all, the team was left reeling at the end of 2025 after one of the worst collapses in team history.

However, there have also been rumors that the Twins are shopping veterans like Willi Castro, Christian Vázquez, and Chris Paddack.

Each of these players fills a critical role, whether as a versatile utility option (Castro), an experienced catcher (Vázquez), or a back-end starter (Paddack).

Trading any of them would take away from the team’s depth, so why explore those moves if payroll isn’t a significant issue?

Another potential explanation is that the Pohlads are expecting to sell the team in full before some of these bills come due.

Reports indicate that new ownership could be in place by midseason, meaning the current regime may not be overly concerned with keeping payroll at a strict level.

By June, another owner might be writing the payroll checks.

President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey recently spoke on the subject, acknowledging that the team had been granted additional financial flexibility.

The spending space came about after Twins chairman Joe Pohlad “greenlighted… the ability to add a little bit here to this team.

I think that’s a credit to them and certainly a tick up for us that allows us to add a little bit more to this roster that we feel already had a good base, but now we’ve clicked off some of those needs.”

Falvey also mentioned that the trade market has cooled in recent weeks, as teams prepare to head to spring training.

This could mean the Twins’ trio of expiring contracts might stay with the club. However, this front office has made trades late in previous offseasons, so never say never.

“I think teams are a little more focused internally now, as they’re ready to ship off to Arizona and Florida and try to get things squared away [for spring training],” Falvey said. “Some of those last remaining free agents, I think that’s been the vast majority of the noise.” 

Yes, the Pohlads were willing to stretch the budget beyond initial projections, but it remains unclear just how far they are willing to go.

Some reports have the Twins interested in adding a backup shortstop, which would likely put the team’s payroll closer to $150 million.

Will they really continue to make additions, or will they look to trim payroll before Opening Day?

If the team does end up moving one or more veterans, it could signal that ownership is still mindful of finances, even as they prepare for a sale.

For now, ownership has pushed the payroll.

The additional spending has allowed them to solidify their roster, but the looming uncertainty surrounding ownership makes future moves challenging to predict.

It seems a foregone conclusion that the Pohlads are on their way out the door, and they may be willing to let payroll rise as a final gesture of goodwill to the fans (or a cheap sop to a frustrated baseball operations department). Either way, Twins Territory will watch closely to see how the situation unfolds.