GM: Andy MacPhail (since 1986)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Tapani | 26 | pre-arb | 28 | 3.5 | 0.1 | +1.5 |
| Mark Guthrie | 24 | pre-arb | 24 | 3.4 | 0.1 | +1.4 |
| Brian Harper | 30 | FA-elig | 134 | 2.9 | 0.5 | +0.8 |
| Shane Mack | 26 | arb | 125 | 2.6 | 0.1 | +1.1 |
| Kent Hrbek | 30 | FA-elig | 143 | 2.6 | 2.1 | -1.0 |
| Greg Gagne | 28 | FA-elig | 138 | 2.5 | 0.8 | +0.3 |
| Kirby Puckett | 30 | FA-elig | 146 | 2.4 | 2.8 | -1.7 |
| Gary Gaetti | 31 | FA-elig | 154 | 2.3 | 0.5 | +0.5 |
| Allan Anderson | 26 | arb | 31 | 2.1 | 0.3 | +0.6 |
| Terry Leach | 36 | FA-elig | 55 | 1.5 | 0.4 | +0.3 |
| Junior Ortiz | 30 | – | 71 | 1.4 | – | – |
| Rick Aguilera | 28 | arb | 56 | 1.3 | 0.6 | -0.1 |
| Roy Smith | 28 | FA-elig | 32 | 1.0 | 0.4 | +0.1 |
| Al Newman | 30 | arb | 144 | 0.9 | 0.3 | +0.1 |
| Scott Erickson | 22 | pre-arb | 19 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Nelson Liriano↔ TOR | 26 | arb | 53 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Paul Abbott | 22 | pre-arb | 7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Scott Leius | 24 | pre-arb | 14 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| John Candelaria↔ TOR | 36 | FA-elig | 34 | 0.4 | 0.4 | -0.2 |
| Larry Casian | 24 | pre-arb | 5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Tim Drummond | 25 | arb | 35 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Randy Bush | 31 | FA-elig | 73 | 0.1 | 0.3 | -0.3 |
| Lenny Webster | 25 | pre-arb | 2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Chip Hale | 25 | pre-arb | 1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Gary Wayne | 27 | pre-arb | 38 | -0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Doug Baker | 29 | FA-elig | 3 | -0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Rich Garces | 19 | – | 5 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Rich Yett | 27 | arb | 4 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| David West | 25 | pre-arb | 29 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Juan Berenguer | 35 | FA-elig | 51 | -0.1 | 0.8 | -0.8 |
| Paul Sorrento | 24 | pre-arb | 41 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Jack Savage | 26 | – | 17 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Fred Manrique | 28 | – | 69 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Jim Dwyer | 40 | FA-elig | 37 | -0.5 | 0.2 | -0.5 |
| Pedro Munoz | 21 | pre-arb | 22 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| John Moses | 32 | FA-elig | 115 | -0.8 | 0.4 | -0.8 |
| Dan Gladden | 32 | FA-elig | 136 | -1.0 | 0.7 | -1.1 |
| Gene Larkin | 27 | arb | 119 | -1.2 | 0.2 | -0.7 |
| Carmen Castillo | 32 | FA-elig | 64 | -1.8 | 0.6 | -1.3 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 35 of them (90%). 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 |