GM: Terry Ryan (since 1993)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johan Santana | 28 | FA-elig | 33 | 4.2 | 13.0 | -4.1 |
| Jason Bartlett | 27 | arb | 140 | 3.3 | 0.4 | +6.7 |
| Joe Mauer | 24 | arb | 109 | 3.3 | 3.8 | +3.3 |
| Torii Hunter | 31 | FA-elig | 160 | 3.2 | 12.0 | -5.2 |
| Scott Baker | 25 | – | 24 | 2.6 | – | – |
| Carlos Silva | 28 | arb | 33 | 2.5 | 4.3 | +1.0 |
| Michael Cuddyer | 28 | FA-elig | 144 | 2.3 | 3.6 | +1.3 |
| Justin Morneau | 26 | arb | 157 | 2.2 | 4.5 | +0.2 |
| Joe Nathan | 32 | FA-elig | 68 | 2.0 | 5.2 | -1.0 |
| Luis Castillo↔ NYM | 31 | FA-elig | 85 | 1.4 | 3.6 | -0.6 |
| Matt Garza | 23 | – | 16 | 1.1 | – | – |
| Pat Neshek | 26 | pre-arb | 74 | 0.9 | 0.4 | +1.6 |
| Boof Bonser | 25 | pre-arb | 31 | 0.9 | 0.4 | +1.5 |
| Nick Punto | 29 | FA-elig | 150 | 0.7 | 1.8 | -0.2 |
| Matt Guerrier | 28 | arb | 73 | 0.7 | 0.4 | +1.0 |
| Jason Tyner | 30 | FA-elig | 114 | 0.6 | 0.4 | +1.0 |
| Mike Redmond | 36 | FA-elig | 82 | 0.5 | 0.9 | +0.1 |
| Jason Kubel | 25 | arb | 128 | 0.5 | 0.4 | +0.7 |
| Jeff Cirillo↔ ARI | 37 | FA-elig | 50 | 0.5 | 1.0 | +0.1 |
| Ramon Ortiz↔ COL | 34 | FA-elig | 28 | 0.3 | 2.3 | -1.6 |
| Tommy Watkins | 27 | – | 9 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Jose Morales | 24 | – | 1 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Kevin Slowey | 23 | – | 13 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Glen Perkins | 24 | – | 19 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Nick Blackburn | 25 | – | 6 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Dennys Reyes | 30 | FA-elig | 50 | -0.1 | 1.0 | -1.1 |
| Lew Ford | 30 | arb | 55 | -0.1 | 1.0 | -1.3 |
| Jason Miller | 24 | – | 4 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Darnell McDonald | 28 | – | 4 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Sidney Ponson | 30 | FA-elig | 7 | -0.2 | 1.0 | -1.5 |
| Carmen Cali | 28 | – | 24 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Josh Rabe | 28 | – | 14 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Jesse Crain | 25 | arb | 18 | -0.3 | 0.5 | -1.2 |
| Luis Antonio Rodriguez | 27 | pre-arb | 68 | -0.3 | 0.4 | -1.1 |
| Juan Rincon | 28 | FA-elig | 63 | -0.4 | 2.0 | -2.8 |
| Matthew LeCroy | 31 | – | 7 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Chris Heintz | 32 | pre-arb | 24 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -1.3 |
| Julio DePaula | 24 | – | 16 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Brian Buscher | 26 | – | 33 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Garrett Jones | 26 | – | 31 | -0.6 | – | – |
| Rondell White | 35 | FA-elig | 38 | -0.8 | 2.5 | -4.2 |
| Alexi Casilla | 22 | – | 56 | -1.1 | – | – |
42 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 26 of them (62%). 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 |