GM: Terry Ryan (since 1993)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johan Santana | 27 | FA-elig | 34 | 6.7 | 8.8 | +4.5 |
| Joe Mauer | 23 | pre-arb | 140 | 5.8 | 0.4 | +11.1 |
| Justin Morneau | 25 | arb | 157 | 3.8 | 0.4 | +7.1 |
| Francisco Liriano | 22 | pre-arb | 28 | 3.7 | 0.3 | +7.0 |
| Nick Punto | 28 | arb | 135 | 3.6 | 0.7 | +6.4 |
| Jason Bartlett | 26 | – | 99 | 3.1 | – | – |
| Michael Cuddyer | 27 | arb | 150 | 3.1 | 1.3 | +4.8 |
| Joe Nathan | 31 | FA-elig | 64 | 3.1 | 3.8 | +2.3 |
| Torii Hunter | 30 | FA-elig | 147 | 2.3 | 10.8 | -6.3 |
| Luis Castillo | 30 | FA-elig | 142 | 2.2 | 5.1 | -0.8 |
| Brad Radke | 33 | FA-elig | 28 | 1.6 | 9.0 | -5.8 |
| Jason Tyner | 29 | – | 62 | 1.5 | – | – |
| Juan Rincon | 27 | arb | 75 | 1.4 | 0.9 | +1.9 |
| Boof Bonser | 24 | – | 18 | 1.0 | – | – |
| Dennys Reyes | 29 | – | 66 | 0.9 | – | – |
| Jesse Crain | 24 | pre-arb | 68 | 0.9 | 0.4 | +1.4 |
| Mike Redmond | 35 | FA-elig | 47 | 0.8 | 0.9 | +0.7 |
| Pat Neshek | 25 | – | 32 | 0.8 | – | – |
| Matt Garza | 22 | – | 10 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Scott Baker | 24 | pre-arb | 16 | 0.5 | 0.3 | +0.7 |
| Glen Perkins | 23 | – | 4 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Kyle Lohse↔ CIN | 27 | arb | 22 | 0.2 | 2.6 | -2.2 |
| Shannon Stewart | 32 | FA-elig | 44 | 0.1 | 6.5 | -6.2 |
| Luis Antonio Rodriguez | 26 | pre-arb | 59 | 0.0 | 0.3 | -0.3 |
| Alexi Casilla | 21 | – | 9 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Lew Ford | 29 | arb | 104 | -0.0 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Chris Heintz | 31 | – | 2 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Matt Guerrier | 27 | pre-arb | 39 | -0.0 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Terry Tiffee | 27 | – | 20 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Josh Rabe | 27 | – | 24 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Phil Nevin↔ CHC | 35 | FA-elig | 16 | -0.1 | 1.3 | -1.5 |
| Tony Batista | 32 | FA-elig | 50 | -0.1 | 1.2 | -1.5 |
| Mike Smith | 28 | – | 1 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Ruben Sierra | 40 | – | 14 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Willie Eyre | 27 | pre-arb | 42 | -0.4 | 0.3 | -1.1 |
| Carlos Silva | 27 | arb | 36 | -0.5 | 3.2 | -4.2 |
| Juan Castro↔ CIN | 34 | FA-elig | 50 | -0.5 | 0.5 | -1.5 |
| Jason Kubel | 24 | pre-arb | 73 | -1.1 | 0.3 | -2.6 |
| Rondell White | 34 | FA-elig | 99 | -1.3 | 2.5 | -5.1 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 26 of them (67%). 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 |