Who Might Buy The Minnesota Twins?

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins fans learned Thursday that for the first time in 40 years, the franchise is up for sale.

The Pohlad family announced Thursday that it is looking to sell the Twins. Carl Pohlad bought the team in 1984 for $44 million. The Twins went on to win the World Series twice, in 1987 and 1991.

"After months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins," Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad said in a statement Thursday.

"As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public."

The franchise is valued at $1.46 billion, according to Forbes. People interested in buying the club are asked to contact Steve Greenberg of Allen & Company.

But who might actually have both the means and the interest in buy up the franchise? The list of people worldwide who have several billion to spend on a sports team is small, but the candidates are out there.

The last MLB franchise to be sold was the Baltimore Orioles, which were sold earlier this year for $1.725 billion. From start to finish, the sale took about three months.

The New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Seattle Mariners were also sold in the past decade.

Here are three other billionaires who could become the next owner of the Minnesota Twins:

Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos certainly has the cash, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $204.9 billion. And he's shown interest in sports franchises before.

In 2023, Bezos moved to acquire the NFL's Washington Commanders, but was outbid by fellow billionaire Josh Harris, the Financial Times reported.

Marc Lore

The entrepreneur and co-owner of the Timberwolves, with an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion, may need the backing of a larger ownership group to buy the Twins. However, Lore could still see value in owning a stake in another Minnesota sports franchise.

Zygi Wilf

Since acquiring the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, the Wilf family has steadily broadened their sports holdings, including significant stakes in MLS teams Orlando City SC and Nashville SC, further diversifying their portfolio beyond the NFL.

The Wilf's worth was estimated at $5 billion in 2015.