Twins Exec Could Face Penalty for Saying They’re Not Going to Spend $30 Million on a Player

Go do a radio show, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. What could go wrong? Right? As it turns out, a lot could go wrong.

Minnesota Twins Executive Chairman Joe Pohlad could find himself in hot water with the MLB Players Association after telling WCCO-AM radio host Jason DeRusha that the Twins will “not spend $30 million” on any of the high-value free agents that are currently available, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.

“We’re not going to go out and spend $30 million on a player right now,” he said, according to CBS Sports. “The players that are out there right now that probably a bunch of fans are talking about, we are not in the market for those players.”

Why are those comments a problem? The trouble seems to arise from page 345 of MLB’s collective bargaining agreement.

“Similarly, none of the Covered Parties may make comments to the media about the value of an unsigned free agent, or about possible or contemplated terms for an unsigned free agent, regardless of whether discussions have occurred,” the passage read. “The prohibitions apply equally to comments that are on and off the record, as well as to comments that are provided on the condition of anonymity or published without identifying the source (e.g., “an industry source”).”

The text then goes on to list some examples of what could constitute a violation of the rule.

“Player X won’t receive anything longer than a one-year deal,” is an example given.

“Player X is not worth more than $Y million, nor should he receive a contract greater than Z years,” is another example.

It would appear at first glance that Pohlad would not be in conflict with this rule, seeing as his comments were not directed at a specific player, but several available free agents.

This may be the reason why no charge has yet been filed against Pohlad.