MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s All-Star game, touching on various topics, including the sale of the Twins, the ongoing media rights situation and the possibility of the Bay Area getting a future expansion franchise.
The Twins have been on the block for almost a year now, as it was back in October that the Pohlad family announced it would be exploring a sale. Per Dan Hayes and Evan Drellich of The Athletic as well as Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, Manfred chalked up the ongoing delay to the Justin Ishbia situation.
Justin Ishbia and his brother Mat were connected to the Twins early in the sale process. However, Justin abandoned his pursuit of the Twins and doubled down on his connection with the White Sox. Justin was already a minority owner of the Sox and, by early June, had a deal in place to become the eventual owner of that franchise.
The way Manfred frames it, Ishbia was initially viewed as such a frontrunner for the Twins that other potential bidders backed off. “You know this is a small business, right?” Manfred said. “All those bankers that are out there, there ain’t that many of them, they all talk to each other. When it becomes clear that you have a leader in the clubhouse, everybody else kind of backs away, right? Because they kind of get a feel for price. And unless they’re prepared to top, they’re going to move on and do something else. So a big part of the delay in Minnesota was associated with the leader in the clubhouse made a decision to do something else.”
However, interest has supposedly ramped up since Ishbia pivoted to the Sox. “I know some things that you don’t know,” Manfred said. “I can tell you with a lot of confidence that there will be a transaction there, and it will be consistent with the kind of pricing that has taken place. There will be a transaction. We just need to be patient while they rework.”
It has been reported since March that the Pohlad family is hoping to get $1.7 billion for the Twins. A $1.5 billion number which was floated by one potential bidder was considered “a non-starter.” Last year, the Angelos family sold the Orioles for $1.725MM. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg reportedly has an agreement in principle to sell the Rays for $1.7 billion this year. Perhaps the market has been set in a way which will allow the Pohlad family to get their asking price, though today’s piece from The Athletic notes that the Twins are carrying a fairly high debt load of $425MM.
Manfred also addressed the league’s media rights situation, per Drellich. Manfred previously noted that he hoped to have something to announce before the All-Star game in relation to the collapsed ESPN deal but it appears nothing is across the finish line yet. He said today that progress is being made but he didn’t specify a new target date for getting something done.
It was reported back in February that ESPN opted out of their deal with MLB for the 2026 through 2028 seasons. That deal included broadcast rights for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and the Wild Card round of the playoffs. ESPN still has the rights for the current season but those products are still up for grabs after 2025.
ESPN’s deal would have seen them pay $550MM annually, had they not opted out. They were reportedly willing to go as high as $200MM in order to keep the rights but MLB balked at that price. NBC reportedly made some kind of offer in May but it’s unknown what kind of number was floated, apart from it being “much less” than $550MM. Last month, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that MLB and ESPN had renewed talks and that Apple and Fox had also been connected to the package, in addition to NBC.
On another note, Manfred left the door open for a future expansion franchise coming to the Bay Area, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and John Shea of the San Francisco Standard. “In terms of expansion,” he said, “open book. You know what? People who want baseball should participate in the expansion process when we start that process, and I think by being wide open, with no predeterminations as to where it’s going, we’re going to end up with the best locations if we want to expand.”
The Bay Area still has the Giants but recently lost the Athletics, who are in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. Manfred cited recent changes in government as increasing the odds of a new franchise coming back to Oakland. “I don’t have any problem with any government official in Oakland,” Manfred said. “I thought Mayor [Sheng] Thao was not particularly helpful when we got down to brass tacks, but I don’t think I’m going to have to deal with her going forward.”
Thao was mayor of Oakland in 2023 and 2024 but was ousted in a recall election in November. Various reports have indicated that the relationships between Thao, A’s owner John Fisher and Manfred were not especially rosy. Slusser reports that Manfred previously swore off Oakland due to the unsuccessful negotiations, so his more neutral tone today is perhaps noteworthy. Both Slusser and Shea float San Jose as another possibility for the area, even if Oakland isn’t viable.
For the theoretical possibility to become a reality, a viable group would have to emerge and enter the bidding. Over the years, various groups have formed with the hopes of getting expansion franchises in places like Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando and Portland.
Manfred has consistently said expansion won’t be on the table until the A’s and Rays have new homes figured out. The A’s are scheduled to open their new stadium in Vegas in 2028. The Rays had a deal which fell apart in the wake of hurricane damage to The Trop, which then led to the aforementioned in-process sale. It expected that the Rays’ new ownership group will eventually pursue a new stadium in Tampa proper, as opposed to the club’s previous home in St. Petersburg.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Because the Bay Area cities are such outstanding examples of humanity they deserve it?
The Bay Area cities are fine. What would be objectionable?
Don’t expect an answer from somebody who probably has never even been to the area.
Has anyone crapped in your doorway lately? How about your street or sidewalk?
Why, are you planning to?
I thought that only happened in Seattle, good to know we aren’t alone.
C’mon Joe, Oakland fans got hosed big-time. They (Bay peeps) deserve another franchise even if it ends up being South Bay/San Jose.
San Jose would be a vastly better area and fan base than Oakland. But I think the A’s should have had to leave the Athletics name and colors for such a team which would have made the existing fans happy.
The problem with San Jose is the A’s gave up their territorial rights there to the Giants in 1993, and the Giants blocked the A’s from even looking at prospective places there back in the early 2000’s when they were originally trying to get a new ballpark.
Expansion is just that; they’ll get a *new* franchise to call their own. The A’s have “maneuvered” around the country for a long time and Fisher owns the naming rights. My curiosity revolves around what the new potential name might be, Red!
Redstitch they had the name and colors before Oakland.
The Braves have maneuvered around the country just as much as the A’s. Meaningless comment.
Why would they do that? The A’s didnt’ start in Oakland. In fact they were in Kansas City and Philadelphia before moving to Oakland.
Not a problem at all.
MLB Commissioner and MLB Ownership sets the rules on territories in MLB.
They can easily vote to divide the SF Bay Area territory 50/50
between the New San Jose Santa Clara County team and the SF Giants.
All other shared MLB 2 team markets are structured that way:
Mets/NY
Cubs/ White Sox
Dodgers/Angels
Etc…
Remember, former Commissioner Bud Selig stated that “in the Best interests of baseball, former A’s Owner Walter Haas Jr.
LOANED THE GIANTS THEIR 50 % of the Santa Clara County/ San Jose
“Shared Territory”.
Selig stated for the record that Haas and the A’s FULLY EXPECTED THE RETURN OF THEIR 50% of Santa Clara County San Jose territory after the Giants built their New stadium in San Jose/Santa County.
They built their New stadium in SF 50 miles away.
So, the 50% Santa Clara County/San Jose Territory should have REVERTED
BACK TO THE A’s right after the Giants built their New stadium in SF 50 miles away
MLB and SF Giants may be in violation of US Anti Trust laws by allowing the SF Fiants a business monopoly in the very large, very rich SF Bay Area.
And yes, the MLB Anti Trust Exemption could be tossed out by a vote of Congress
OR another Court decision..
MLB would be wise to make the
decision themselves rather than have a Democratic Congress in ’26 and/ our the Courts jump in to
micromanage their MLB business and league especially with a loominng MLB lockout and work stoppage in the near future.
It is a “no brainer”.
San Jose/ Santa Clara Couty should be awarded a New MLB expansion team.
Silicon Valley and the Bay Area would be sellimg out games fir a New MLB team in Santa Clara County San Jose
expansion is “possible” but will most likely occur in one, and only one, location. south bay area is untouchable due to the territorial rights. fremont was axed by the locals. newark off of the dumbarton? maybe. but, now that the AASEG owns the land that the coliseum and the arena sit on, they have the power to rebuild and revitalize and grow that area just like the Giant’s brass did with China Basin 30 years ago.
Expansion will absolutely happen and it will be two teams.
Washington DC was untouchable due to territorial rights. They got a team. Its amazing what can happen when someone is offering you
$2 Billion to join your league. Just watch.
I’d rather see a new stadium closer to downtown Oakland. If not the Terminal, then maybe around San Pablo Ave. But someone will need to buy up a bunch of land in West Oakland for that to happen….
Nothing is “untouchable”.
Santa Clara County/San Jose
is at the top of the list for MLB Expansion.
Owners can vote tomorrow or anytime for SF Bay Area Territory to
divided 50/50 between SF Giants
And New Team in Santa Clara County/San Jose team.
Nashville & Salt Lake City
Tell us you worship the TACO without telling us…
I worship tacos… in fact, many types. It should be no secret…
Rubio’s Baja Fish Tacos are the best.
LIVING tacos are the best. Baja fish tacos are a distant 2nd.
Bay Area already has a team…. The Rays
And the funny thing is, Clip… we all know that San Diego is the only Bay Area around! 🙂
This is true. The bay area is an absolute dump.
They have bigger issues than having a baseball team that they won’t even support.
This is also true, as I never expected a different, less-antagonistic response from DarrenDreifortsContract
I have no idea what that word means but thank you!
First day on the internet?
Man you’re not here to make friends, are ya?
Friends are overrated. I’m just here to spread my knowledge.
Every city has bigger issues than a baseball team. Find me a city that has zero issues and an MLB team is priority #1
How about Arlington, Texas? They are kinda like a suburb of Dallas with some money. Maybe they aren’t doing too bad. I dunno, just a shot in the dark.
Call them the Harbor side Homeless
SF BAY ARE HAS A HIGHER GDP THAN MOST US STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES
SO GIVE THE BOGUS RUMORS A REST.
How is that Vegas stadium going these days? I saw the video of the so-called groundbreaking a few weeks ago.
I assume they’ve got a lot more digging done by now, if that groundbreaking wasn’t typical phony baloney A’s jumbo mumbo.
The heavy equipment was there just for show. I don’t think they’ve even broken ground yet.
They rented some bulldozers to put in the background.
I hope they don’t even move to Vegas. MLB doesn’t need another Coors field where balls are flying out of the place at record pace and they figure out putting the balls in a humidor half way through the year.
Vegas is having trouble getting workers. Holman is chasing the cheap labor they want around.
Maybe they can hire the group doing Obama’s Library I hear that place is going swimmingly.
That’s a total falsehood from an amateur-hour post by SI. The County approved the first two construction permits in April, and those bulldozers have been on site ever since then doing the initial phases of construction.
there’s a yt user posting videos of the progress. cranes and trucks on-site with mounds of dirt placed where the stadium will rise.
I was there yesterday. Nothing. A fence with no equipment on site. All the rented equipment was taken away on the Wednesday the 2nd. The tent they brought in for the “groundbreaking” is now gone.
I hope the drugs have worn off since yesterday, because (a) there was no rented equipment, and (b) the equipment which has been there for two months is still there, still doing the first two phases of construction. Unfortunately for you, the Raiders 1967 YT account WAS there yesterday, and posted video of the equipment, still there, doing the work.
youtube.com/watch?v=BRWnjhvIpTA
Video seems to disagree with you.
Nope. Many articles saying it was rented equipment.
Go back and watch his videos from the day of the “groundbreaking”.
And every one of those articles is wrong. Just sloppy journalism.
Go back and watch his videos of the construction going on starting in April and continuing to the present.
Wait… you think the teams buy the heavy construction equipment? Of course they’re rented. Stuff is moving around on the site. Work is being done. End of Story.
Absolutely nothing has happened yet. They had not even finished clearing the debris of the Tropicana Resort demolition until June of this year and since then nothing has been done. A fenced empty lot that they put up a tent on and dragged in rented construction equipment for their “groundbreaking”. The tent and rented equipment are now gone.
Man I loved the Trop, old school Vegas.
This sure looks like the usual site work going to me. There’s video of work being done right here from two days ago (July 14): As someone else said, just check Raiders 1967 channel”
youtube.com/watch?v=BRWnjhvIpTA
Go back and look at videos he did around the time of the “groundbreaking”.
It’s clearing happening. That site is being prepared for something
The site was/would be cleared baseball stadium or not. The Trop wasn’t taken down for the A’s sake.
J6-Please explain your comment?
Everything that comes out of Manfred’s mouth is condescending and slimy. He can’t be gone quickly enough.
The national TV contracts merit scrutiny. Any TV company thinking about the unused portion of the ESPN contract has to consider a potential lockout of the players’ union in December 2026. Andrew Marchand is a gossipmonger — used to work for ESPN and the Murdoch-owned New York Post — thus he’s not eager to be skeptical of anything. And broadcasters are not getting into any bidding war given the collapse of linear TV which is happening more quickly than many anticipated.
Can’t wait for the Rays to move to the Bay Area.
The Golden State Rays?
Bay Rays
Oakland Ray’s, c’mon that one was easy
Tampa and Oakland dont deserve Teams, either does Miami
Hopefully 1 day we will see Baseball in Montreal again
I’ve often thought if the league ever puts a second team back in Canada, Vancouver would be interesting. It would give Seattle a fun cross border regional rival and at least one team they wouldn’t have to travel halfway across the continent to play.
And BC is where a great many Canadian baseball players come from. It’s got a decent baseball culture.
It’ll never happen, but I wish it would.
We already have a fun cross-border rival: two-thirds of the crowd are Canadian every time the Jays come to town.
They draw really well for the minor league team there in Van but I’m guessing MLB sees the market as cannibalizing the mariners market.
You would need an exceptionally rich and passionate Canadian to drive that in to existence and not too many of those people around
Oakland and Montreal do deserve teams and to a lesser extent, yes, Tampa and Miami. I’d prefer keeping teams where they’re playing currently. Baseball over politicking.
The fascination of giving whatever trending city that might be growing (for now anyway) getting a team seems exciting to some in a weird way, especially for those who have no ties nor live in those cities.
Every MLB city has supported it’s team past and present, the biggest factor is having a team that’s run halfway decent with ownership who tries to win within their means and doesn’t treat the team as purely an investment. Do those basic things and fans show up. Any time a city has attendance issues it can be linked to things ownership is responsible for – consistently bad on field product, lack of commitment, stadium issue(s).
New expansion team should go to Santa Clara County San Jose.
Translation: Bring large amounts of taxpayer money and other kinds of goodies. Build for us, woo us, write checks for us, get your pols on board for us. $1.7B floor for a MLB team is far too low….
Anyplace that uses taxpayer funds for a stadium is run by ridiculously naïve, stupid people. And boy howdy, there seem to be a lot of those.
Sadly, the ridiculously naïve, stupid people factory runs all day and night cranking out more product every day, it seems.
Taxpayers will be paying billionaires for stadiums long after we’re all gone, for better or worse
It’s for worse.
If moneys not wasted on a stadium it will be wasted on something else
yes nothing like cooperate welfare for billionaires.
I don’t see a team in Oakland ever again. However a permanent tean in Sacramento is possible
I can see Oakland having a baseball team again, that would be the A’s. As a baseball fan, that’s what I’d like to see happen. If people can somehow excuse the attendance issues with the Reds, Pirates, White Sox, and Twins, then I also have no problem with Oakland having another chance at it.
The New Bay Area Expansion team will be in San Jose and/ or Santa Clara County
loaded with HQs for very rich
World Technology companies
and many of the games will be sellouts.
How about Omaha? I think those folks in Nebraska would support a pro team of some sort.
Everytime Manfred opens his mouth, it is obvious he sits in an NYC ivory tower and has no concept of the true reality facing a declining game in middle America.
I mean, baseball is not popular with the millennial or gen z kids, the sport is literally aging itself. MLB has done a fine job of alienating customers, blackouts, high ticket prices, so it’s no surprise the younger generations are not embracing the sport. That’s a real shame because I think baseball is way better than football and basketball.
Baseball is a rich kid sport now
Do you understand that millennials are ages 29-44 right now? I’m gonna guess you’re a boomer or an elder gen x who thinks millennials are still in high school.
I would be very surprised if Portland or Oakland gets a team. I think Nashville is happening. I’ve liked the changes that Manfred has done especially the DH in the National League. It was so frustrating watching Austin Hedges followed by the pitcher at 8-9. But him screwing over Atlanta a few years ago made me say dump him.
Portland is the closest of any team to being ready for MLB baseball. Much larger market then Nashville in both Metro population and media market and they have both a stadium site purchased and local government support.
I’d throw Salt Lake City in the mix too
Salt Lake elevation?
4400 feet
San Jose Dolphins.
Fremont Furries.
Anything but that
I’m all for Nashville, Salt Lake City, Montreal and a place that hasn’t had a team. Maybe Portland, I think they already have a stadium already. I know there is one place that does that is somewhat new. I also would love to see a team set up like Green Bay where the fans own it .
When the Orioles came back to Baltimore in ’54, it was a public team. Being an owner need not be for Billionaires.
It’d be cool if the expansion teams were publicly owned to really embrace/develop a community/fan base.
Well it’s not 1954. The potential problems of public ownership and politics could bring plenty of issues. Perhaps public ownership via a stockholder type approach could work. And a public company owning could be a more open book situation which could be beneficial.
My problem with SLC is altitude again – 4300 ft. Not Coors but definitely an issue.
Nyyfan — No doubt it’s a different time, and such a thing would have to work extremely differently then just buying shares from clipped coupons from the news paper. I agree it’s all but impossible to do the Public option in today’s world…although it would be great if it could.
Great point on Salt Lake (4300 feet is Coors, if not a couple hundred extra). Coors is such a disaster, I’m with you in hoping they have learned from Coors to keep ball parks 1000 feet or below.
Expansion fees could be 1.5B$ per new team. Which community is going to gather that up to outbid billionaire hedgefunders?
mrkinsm — yeap, it’s all but impossible. Mountains of obstacles and upside-down incentives in the public option.
Still a better outcome than private billionaire hedgefunders.
Maybe one of those Warren Buffet billionaires that are giving their wealth away would do it.
More interesting would be the State buying a franchise. The public pays for the stadiums and then gets it’s money back by taxing its own residence for spending the taxes they already spent. If they owned the Club, they get a non-tax revenue stream. A better use of state funds than buying a billionaire a castle to make money in. If states are making money off of toll roads, lottery, sports gambling, and marijuana…why not sports itself? Seems less problematic than selling state backed addictions.
Point being, if there’s a will there’s a way.
((And yes, whether the leagues would want it is a very massive hurdle that is probably the largest obstacle, rather than the cost.))
Darragh, the Angelos family sold the Orioles for $1.725 BILLION, not MM
Montreal and Monterey.
Nah we don’t need the cartel getting involved with MLB.
Oakland had its shot..
So did St Louis, Boston, and many other cities that currently have teams.
The Bay Area definitely doesn’t need a new team. The A’s left because the city of Oakland didn’t want to do anything for them, and the fact that Oakland is a major s–t hole in general. San Francisco itself has become a major s–t hole as well. Attendance has dropped over the years for both teams.
because the billionaire owner of the team was too cheap to invest in the A’s then went begging for public money. Again cooperate welfare for billionaires. Pay for your stadium.
Cue the bullsheet from Posters
who know zilch about the SF Bay Area.
You really have no clue to you? The city of Oakland, Alameda county, and the state of California were putting up more than twice as much money as Nevada as well as gifting Fisher a $440 million piece of land.
People in Oakland make more money on average than whatever city you live in and it’s a really nice place. Try visiting it sometime.
Try getting the facts before you comment next time.
The number of people unwilling to acknowledge the truth about the bay area’s problems as related to their politics is quite staggering. As someone who took bart to A’s games for 5 decades, I can say with 100% confidence that city leadership, elected by its citizens, destroyed the bay area. The Giants would love to leave too, don’t kid yourselves.
the number of people making unsubstantiated comments like this is why the truth is completely muddled because everyone of a particular political bent has an axe to grind.
The irony is delicious. All that truth is buried underneath the pesky rubble of reality. If only the truth tellers could bring it all to light!
The vegas move wont happen… the stadium isn’t being built… the equipment was fake and rented… bay area politics arent to blame for losing another team… Oakland is actually very safe… everyone else is a liar.
Luxor used to have a Nile river. They should bring it back for the A’s arrival.
coming from the guy who allegedly went to As games for five decades and then shoehorns in a useless political take. Irony indeed.
Enjoy that L, kid. Reality hits harder after 30.
Fake news, fake facts from the pants on fire liars fake media.
Moving the A’s to Vegas and giving the Bay an expansion team would be the most Manfred thing to do. What a joke. How can the Giants NOT block expansion…but CAN block an existing regional franchise. They own San Jose or the A’s would probably already be in a park there
The Giants own media rights to most of the area after the Athletics gave San Jose away to the Giants back in the 90s. If Oakland came up with a legitimate stadium option and actually agreed to fund it with an buy-in owner on board, it’s possible.
The New expansion team in SF Bay Area will go to Santa Clara County San Jose.
MLB controls shared territory rights, NOT THE SF GIANTS.
All teams in markets with AL and NL teams share territory 50/50.
That will be RESTORED IN SF Bay Area AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 20 YEARS AGO.
They wont go to the Bay area and split that fan base again. Not with the current economy. I just dont see it
@SportsFan0000 – Read up on the history of the Oakland Athletics stadium attempts. San Jose was rejected by the Giants because the Giants own the territory after the Athletics transferred the territory so the Giants could get their stadium built back in the 90s.