GM: Andy MacPhail (since 1986)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby Puckett | 32 | FA-elig | 160 | 5.9 | 3.0 | +1.7 |
| Shane Mack | 28 | arb | 156 | 5.2 | 1.1 | +2.9 |
| John Smiley | 27 | FA-elig | 34 | 5.0 | 3.4 | +0.5 |
| Chuck Knoblauch | 23 | pre-arb | 155 | 4.5 | 0.3 | +3.2 |
| Kevin Tapani | 28 | arb | 34 | 4.5 | 0.5 | +3.0 |
| Brian Harper | 32 | FA-elig | 140 | 2.3 | 2.5 | -0.7 |
| Scott Erickson | 24 | pre-arb | 32 | 1.9 | 0.4 | +1.0 |
| Kent Hrbek | 32 | FA-elig | 112 | 1.8 | 3.1 | -1.7 |
| Chili Davis | 32 | FA-elig | 138 | 1.7 | 2.8 | -1.5 |
| Bill Krueger↔ WSN | 34 | FA-elig | 27 | 1.7 | 0.7 | +0.6 |
| Carl Willis | 31 | FA-elig | 59 | 1.5 | 0.3 | +0.9 |
| Tom Edens | 31 | arb | 52 | 1.4 | 0.1 | +1.0 |
| Mark Guthrie | 26 | arb | 54 | 1.4 | 0.3 | +0.8 |
| Pedro Munoz | 23 | pre-arb | 127 | 1.3 | 0.2 | +0.9 |
| Greg Gagne | 30 | FA-elig | 146 | 1.2 | 1.9 | -1.0 |
| Scott Leius | 26 | pre-arb | 129 | 0.9 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Rick Aguilera | 30 | FA-elig | 64 | 0.8 | 2.3 | -1.7 |
| Pat Mahomes | 21 | pre-arb | 14 | 0.7 | 0.1 | +0.5 |
| Jeff Reboulet | 28 | – | 73 | 0.7 | – | – |
| Mike Trombley | 25 | – | 10 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Lenny Webster | 27 | arb | 53 | 0.6 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Gary Wayne | 29 | arb | 41 | 0.5 | 0.2 | +0.2 |
| Willie Banks | 23 | pre-arb | 16 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Donnie Hill | 31 | FA-elig | 25 | 0.3 | 0.4 | -0.2 |
| Paul Abbott | 24 | pre-arb | 6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Larry Casian | 26 | – | 6 | 0.1 | – | – |
| J.T. Bruett | 24 | – | 56 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Terry Jorgensen | 25 | – | 22 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Derek Parks | 23 | – | 7 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Gene Larkin | 29 | arb | 115 | -0.1 | 0.9 | -1.0 |
| David West | 27 | – | 9 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Mauro Gozzo | 26 | – | 2 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Luis Quinones | 30 | – | 3 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Darren Reed↔ WSN | 26 | pre-arb | 14 | -0.3 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
| Bernardo Brito | 28 | – | 8 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Jarvis Brown | 25 | pre-arb | 35 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Mike Pagliarulo | 32 | FA-elig | 42 | -0.5 | 1.2 | -1.6 |
| Bob Kipper | 27 | FA-elig | 25 | -0.6 | 1.0 | -1.5 |
| Randy Bush | 33 | FA-elig | 100 | -0.9 | 0.5 | -1.2 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 29 of them (74%). 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 |