GM: Terry Ryan (since 1993)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Mack | 30 | FA-elig | 81 | 3.8 | 3.2 | +1.2 |
| Chuck Knoblauch | 25 | arb | 109 | 3.7 | 1.6 | +2.6 |
| Kevin Tapani | 30 | arb | 24 | 3.4 | 2.6 | +1.3 |
| Kirby Puckett | 34 | FA-elig | 108 | 3.1 | 5.3 | -1.7 |
| Scott Erickson | 26 | arb | 23 | 2.2 | 1.3 | +1.2 |
| Alex Cole | 28 | arb | 105 | 1.3 | 0.4 | +1.1 |
| Carl Willis | 33 | FA-elig | 49 | 0.9 | 0.5 | +0.5 |
| Rick Aguilera | 32 | FA-elig | 44 | 0.8 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
| Jeff Reboulet | 30 | pre-arb | 74 | 0.6 | 0.2 | +0.6 |
| Scott Leius | 28 | arb | 97 | 0.5 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| Pedro Munoz | 25 | arb | 75 | 0.4 | 0.6 | -0.1 |
| Denny Hocking | 24 | pre-arb | 11 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Erik Schullstrom | 25 | pre-arb | 9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Kevin Campbell | 29 | – | 14 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Chip Hale | 29 | arb | 67 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Mark Guthrie | 28 | arb | 50 | 0.2 | 0.9 | -0.6 |
| Rich Becker | 22 | pre-arb | 28 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Eddie Guardado | 23 | pre-arb | 4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Pat Meares | 25 | pre-arb | 80 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.0 |
| Brett Merriman | 27 | – | 15 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Dave Stevens | 24 | pre-arb | 24 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Pat Mahomes | 23 | pre-arb | 22 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Steve Dunn | 24 | – | 14 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Jim Deshaies | 34 | FA-elig | 25 | -0.3 | 0.6 | -0.9 |
| Kent Hrbek | 34 | FA-elig | 81 | -0.3 | 3.1 | -3.4 |
| Derek Parks | 25 | pre-arb | 31 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Keith Garagozzo | 24 | pre-arb | 7 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.5 |
| Mike Trombley | 27 | pre-arb | 24 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
| Dave Winfield | 42 | FA-elig | 77 | -0.4 | 2.7 | -3.2 |
| Dave McCarty | 24 | pre-arb | 44 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.6 |
| Carlos Pulido | 22 | pre-arb | 19 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.6 |
| Matt Walbeck | 24 | pre-arb | 97 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -0.9 |
| Larry Casian↔ CLE | 28 | arb | 33 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -1.0 |
33 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 30 of them (91%). 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 |