As the Minnesota Twins were in the midst of rumors during the offseason, there was one player that the team was apparently in pursuit of, which ended up being pitcher Framber Valdez. With the Twins adding players to the team, there's no denying that Valdez would've been a huge addition, as owner Tom Pohlad revealed the team's intentions.
Now with AL Central-rival Detroit Tigers, Valdez was a marquee player on the market as last season with the Houston Astros, he recorded a 3.66 ERA to go along with 187 strikeouts and a 13-11 record in 31 games. Pohlad would say that when Minnesota was looking into Valdez, the 32-year-old was the “best pitcher on the market,” as his inclusion would've made a “1-2-3 punch” in the team's rotation.
“He was the best pitcher on the market at that point,” Pohlad said, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. “We would’ve had a hell of a 1-2-3 punch [in the rotation], and it would be crazy not to look at that.
“It would’ve been fun to make a splash and show the organization and the fans that we’re committed,” Pohlad continued. “I do know that payroll matters to people. I mean, it wasn’t just about adding to the payroll. It was a decision that [General Manager Jeremy Zoll] thought was in the best interest of the team, and if he thought that, then I was going to be willing to go there for us.”
Twins' owner expresses confidence in 2026 team
While the Twins signed Liam Hendricks, the team had been looking into adding more to their pitching, making the Valdez pursuit an obvious one. Though expectations aren't the highest for Minnesota this season, Pohlad would contest that, saying how “ridiculous” it is that the over/under win total is 73.5.
“I want to be aggressive,” Pohlad said. “That’s my personality. But there is only so much we can do given the timing that we were in. We tried to be aggressive on some things. Those things didn’t work out, and here we are. But I also don’t want something to get lost in translation here: We really like our team.”
At any rate, the Twins are looking to improve after finishing with a 70-92 record, putting them fourth in the AL Central.
