GM: Andy MacPhail (since 1986)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Gaetti | 27 | arb | 157 | 5.4 | 0.5 | +1.1 |
| Kirby Puckett | 26 | pre-arb | 161 | 5.3 | 0.3 | +1.3 |
| Frank Viola | 26 | arb | 37 | 2.9 | 0.7 | +0.2 |
| Bert Blyleven | 35 | FA-elig | 36 | 2.9 | 1.4 | -0.6 |
| Kent Hrbek | 26 | arb | 149 | 2.7 | 1.1 | -0.3 |
| Mike Smithson | 31 | arb | 34 | 1.9 | 0.5 | +0.1 |
| Tom Brunansky | 25 | arb | 157 | 1.8 | 0.7 | -0.2 |
| Mark Portugal | 23 | pre-arb | 27 | 1.3 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Tim Laudner | 28 | arb | 76 | 1.0 | 0.2 | +0.1 |
| Roy Smalley III | 33 | FA-elig | 143 | 0.9 | 0.7 | -0.5 |
| Steve Lombardozzi Sr. | 26 | pre-arb | 156 | 0.7 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Neal Heaton↔ CLE | 26 | arb | 21 | 0.7 | 0.2 | -0.0 |
| Allan Anderson | 22 | – | 21 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Randy Bush | 27 | arb | 130 | 0.5 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Keith Atherton↔ OAK | 27 | arb | 47 | 0.4 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| George Frazier↔ CHC | 31 | FA-elig | 15 | 0.4 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Mark Salas | 25 | pre-arb | 91 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Al Woods | 32 | – | 23 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Bill Latham | 25 | – | 7 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Greg Gagne | 24 | arb | 156 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Roy Lee Jackson | 32 | FA-elig | 28 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| John Butcher↔ CLE | 29 | FA-elig | 16 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Roy Smith | 24 | – | 5 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Jeff Reed | 23 | pre-arb | 68 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Andre David | 28 | – | 5 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Pete Filson↔ CHW | 27 | – | 4 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Frank Pastore | 28 | FA-elig | 33 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Juan Agosto↔ CHW | 28 | – | 17 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Ron Washington | 34 | – | 48 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Ray Fontenot↔ CHC | 28 | arb | 15 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Dennis Burtt | 28 | – | 3 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Alejandro Sanchez | 27 | – | 8 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Alvaro Espinoza | 24 | pre-arb | 37 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Chris Pittaro | 24 | – | 11 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Mickey Hatcher | 31 | FA-elig | 115 | -0.6 | 0.7 | -0.8 |
| Billy Beane | 24 | pre-arb | 80 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Ron Davis↔ CHC | 30 | FA-elig | 36 | -0.8 | 0.5 | -0.7 |
| Mark Davidson | 25 | – | 36 | -1.0 | – | – |
38 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 26 of them (68%). 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 |