Twins owner Carl Pohlad confirmed on Wednesday that he is prepared to field offers to purchase the franchise.
"I believe that our fans in the Upper Midwest want the Twins to continue to play here, which may best be achieved through the sale of the team," Pohlad said.
Pohlad's approval of contraction made him public enemy No. 1 among Twins fans.
Rick Reed and the Twins are now officially up for sale.(CP Photo)
A complex, uphill battle for the construction of a new stadium has not helped, either.
"The controversial process of deciding whether Minnesota should keep a Major League Baseball team has been complicated by the public's perceptions of recent MLB decisions," Pohlad said in a prepared statement.
"We believe that the people of Minnesota need to determine, independently and in the best interest of the entire Upper Midwest, whether they want to continue to host Major League Baseball."
Minnesota was supposedly targeted for contraction, which wound up postponed for 2002 by legislation and friction with baseball's player's union.
Pohlad was expected to profit from contraction, selling the Twins to Major League Baseball for $150 million US for the Twins -- $25 million US above market value.
MLB would then fold the Twins and the Montreal Expos, which it has already purchased from Jeffrey Loria.
Instead, Minneapolis attorney Ralph Strangis will now coordinate the sale of the Twins for Pohlad with the objective of obtaining a fair value and satisfactory new stadium resolution.
