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Former Twins Star Trashes Organization, Fanbase
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- Former Twins Star Trashes Organization, Fanbase
USA TODAY Sports
It's been a pretty long time since the Minnesota Twins were the class of baseball. Sure, they never spent the most money, but when they were winning titles between 1987 and 1991, the Twins were seen as one of the smartest small market teams in the league.
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Of course, even then, there were issues with ownership. Most notably, the late Carl Pohlad was never in a hurry to spend money or pay his best players, a trait he clearly passed down to his kids and grandkids, who have only plunged the Pohlad name deeper down the toilet.
Today in 1995 the Twins trade closer Rick Aguilera. Kirby Puckett is not pleased… pic.twitter.com/r6211xFsBb
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— Jeff (@MNTwinsZealot) July 6, 2025
Because of their historically tight pockets , the vast majority of MN Twins fans have been fed up with the Pohlads style of ownership for decades. Cutting payroll the past three offseasons, following their deepest playoff run in 20 years (2023) only made matters worse.
Josh Donaldson goes on Minnesota Twins rant
But it hits a bit different when you hear a former player lay the hammer down, especially when fans are catching strays in the process. Enter Josh Donaldson, a now 40-year-old retired MLB slugger who played in Minnesota for two seasons from 2020-2021.
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On a recent episode of his "Get it Done League" podcast , Donaldson was asked about what the recent trade of Jeff Hoffman to the Twins could do for his season and his career, after struggling to find his role in Toronto with the rise of Louie Varland as the Blue Jays' new closer.
His response was… interesting.
"people in minnesota…i don't think they care about baseball that much." – josh donaldson pic.twitter.com/J2I46EBOre
— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) August 14, 2026
"He's going to get to go to Minnesota, where it's 'Minnesota nice', right? That's the phrase. People in Minnesota, I don't even think they care about baseball that much. Playing there for two years, I thought it was mediocre at best right and that could be good for him.
I know Derek Shelton, he's the manager and stuff there. I'm sure he's changed it up in the clubhouse some or whatnot. But when I was in Minnesota, it just didn't seem like they had a culture to win or care to win. Everything was 'analytics this', everything was 'analytics that', and there was no reasoning.
I was like, 'Hey, show me some reasoning.' Sorry, I'm going on a rant right now about Minnesota. Um, but yeah, I think Hoffman I think his career, like he's going to be known as obviously giving up the homer…."
MIGUEL ROJAS WITH THE BIGGEST SWING OF HIS LIFE 💥
GAME 7 IS TIED IN TORONTO pic.twitter.com/tDwUGzBrVq— MLB (@MLB) November 2, 2025
Do you think Josh Donaldson regrets his time spent with the Minnesota Twins by any chance? If he hasn't already, it might be time to hire a therapist. Just in case nobody told him, the Twins made the move for Hoffman because they are smack-dab in the middle of the AL playoff race .
Not only do they have a new manager, but even their new Pohlad has shown more of a vested interest operating a winning baseball team, which is how new GM Jeremy Zoll was able to deal for Hoffman and others before the deadline.
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I'm not going to throw Donaldson under the bus for saying publicly what many Twins fans (and much of the baseball world outside of Minnesota) believes.
Donaldson's words sting… but is he right?
The Pohlads aren't serious owners. Even Twins fans agree with that. And when it comes to the local sports market, the Twins play fourth fiddle, behind not just the Vikings, but the Wild and Timberwolves too.
Josh Donaldson was pretty good, on the field, during his two seasons in Minnesota — batting .243 with a .829 OPS and 128 OPS+ (3.6 WAR) in his 163 games played as a Twin — before he was traded back to the Yankees in March, 2022.
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With that being said, he needs a mirror at his retirement home, because he brought on a lot of his own problems while playing in Minnesota. Remember this home run and the ejection that followed? It's pretty much a perfect snapshot of Donaldson's time with the Twins.
Josh Donaldson with the rare HR ejection. Kicks dirt on the plate after his trip around the bases and the ump tosses him. Dude is a savage and I love every second of it. pic.twitter.com/0nkhhkZWRV
— Ben Porter (@Ben13Porter) September 17, 2020
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