GM: Howard Fox (since 1985)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Viola | 25 | arb | 36 | 3.9 | 0.4 | +0.6 |
| Mike Smithson | 30 | arb | 37 | 3.2 | 0.3 | +0.5 |
| Kirby Puckett | 25 | pre-arb | 161 | 2.8 | 0.1 | +0.6 |
| Bert Blyleven↔ CLE | 34 | FA-elig | 14 | 2.7 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Gary Gaetti | 26 | arb | 160 | 2.7 | 0.4 | +0.3 |
| John Butcher | 28 | arb | 34 | 2.7 | 0.3 | +0.4 |
| Kent Hrbek | 25 | arb | 158 | 2.5 | 0.6 | +0.1 |
| Mark Salas | 24 | pre-arb | 120 | 2.3 | 0.1 | +0.5 |
| Tom Brunansky | 24 | arb | 157 | 1.6 | 0.4 | -0.0 |
| Steve Lombardozzi Sr. | 25 | – | 28 | 1.5 | – | – |
| Roy Smalley III | 32 | FA-elig | 129 | 1.3 | 0.7 | -0.4 |
| Tim Teufel | 26 | pre-arb | 138 | 1.0 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Mickey Hatcher | 30 | FA-elig | 116 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| Ron Davis | 29 | FA-elig | 57 | 0.7 | 0.7 | -0.5 |
| Greg Gagne | 23 | – | 114 | 0.7 | – | – |
| Rick Lysander | 32 | – | 35 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Tim Laudner | 27 | arb | 72 | 0.5 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Dave Engle | 28 | arb | 70 | 0.5 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Randy Bush | 26 | arb | 97 | 0.4 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Mark Funderburk | 28 | – | 23 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Dennis Burtt | 27 | – | 5 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Steve Howe↔ LAD | 27 | – | 13 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Dave Meier | 25 | – | 71 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Pete Filson | 26 | arb | 40 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Ron Washington | 33 | – | 70 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Mike Stenhouse | 27 | – | 81 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Alvaro Espinoza | 23 | – | 32 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Ken Schrom | 30 | arb | 29 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Mark Portugal | 22 | – | 6 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Frank Eufemia | 25 | – | 39 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Mark Brown | 25 | – | 6 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Rich Yett | 22 | – | 1 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Jeff Reed | 22 | – | 7 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Tom Klawitter | 27 | – | 7 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Len Whitehouse | 27 | – | 5 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Curt Wardle↔ CLE | 24 | – | 35 | -0.5 | – | – |
36 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 18 of them (50%). Players without a salary show "–" — no single historical salary source is fully complete (especially 2020–2022).
WAR = FanGraphs (fWAR). Green = produced more value than paid (bargain); red = paid more than produced. Service: pre-arb (<3 yr) / arb (3–6) / FA-eligible (6+). Click headers to sort.
| Player | Year | WAR for MIN |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Santana | 1999 | 32.0 |
| Greg Gagne | 1982 | 15.6 |
| Joe Nathan | 2003 | 14.1 |
| Eric Milton | 1998 | 13.4 |
| Joe Ryan | 2021 | 13.4 |
| Francisco Liriano | 2003 | 12.5 |
| Pablo López | 2023 | 9.6 |
| Bert Blyleven | 1985 | 8.3 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Erickson | 1995 | 16.4 |
| J. J. Hardy | 2010 | 14.3 |
| Johan Santana | 2008 | 14.3 |
| Wilson Ramos | 2010 | 11.5 |
| Mark Portugal | 1988 | 9.2 |
| Denard Span | 2012 | 9.0 |
| Bert Blyleven | 1988 | 8.4 |
| Jason Bartlett | 2007 | 8.4 |