Justin Ishbia, one of the owners of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, had in recent weeks looked like a favorite to buy the Minnesota Twins from the Pohlad family. Instead, it appears that he might be shifting his priorities to becoming the successor of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Justin and his brother, Mat, emerged as suitors to buy the Twins in December, a few months after chairman Joe Pohlad — whose father, Carl, purchased the Twins for $44 million in 1984 — announced that the family would explore options to sell the ballclub.
Now, Ishbia has, according to The Athletic, “abandoned his bid for the team to instead acquire the” White Sox. He’s already the owner of a small stake in the White Sox, but now is looking to grab a controlling interest, which would mean becoming the top owner of the team over Reinsdorf.
Things appeared to get down the road enough these last several weeks with the Twins that Ishbia’s interest in grabbing the controlling stake in the White Sox means the Twins are “hustling to regroup,” left them “stunned” and that now “everything’s on the table,” per The Athletic.
Part of the “everything” there would be the possibility that the Pohlad family simply retain ownership and decline to sell the Twins. We’ve seen both the Angels and Nationals owners in recent years explore the possibility of selling their team only to turn around and decide to halt those potential sales.
The prospective new Twins ownership group was never expected to be in place by opening day, but the reports indicate the vetting process with Major League Baseball and Ishbia was down the road enough that a change could’ve happened this coming season. Instead, it appears his priorities have shifted to the White Sox.
The Ishbia brothers have owned the Suns since late 2023. Reinsdorf bought the White Sox in 1981 for just $19 million. They are the 15th-most valuable franchise in baseball at an estimated $2.05 billion, per Forbes. In that same estimation, the Twins are 21st at $1.46 billion.
