Current Twins Salary Information
Click on the dollar sign to display current Twins salary information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts .
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Historical Twins Salary Information
Data provided primarily by the Biz of Baseball
| Year | Opening Day Salary | MLB Salary Rank | Highest Paid Player | Salary | Division Standing | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ??? | ??? | Joe Mauer | $23,000,000 | ? of 5 | ??-?? |
| 2011 | $113,237,000 | 9 of 30 | Joe Mauer | $23,000,000 | 5 of 5 | 63-99 |
| 2010 | $97,559,166 | 10 of 30 | Justin Morneau | $15,000,000 | 1 of 5 | 94-68 |
| 2009 | $65,299,266 | 24 of 30 | Justin Morneau | $11,600.000 | 1 of 5 | 87-76 |
| 2008 | $56,932766 | 25 of 30 | Justin Morneau | $8,400,000 | 2 of 5 | 88-75 |
| 2007 | $71,439,500 | 18 of 30 | Johan Santana | $13,000,000 | 3 of 5 | 79-83 |
| 2006 | $63,396,006 | 19 of 30 | Torii Hunter | $10,750,000 | 1 of 5 | 96-66 |
| 2005 | $56,186,000 | 20 of 30 | Brad Radke | $9,000,000 | 3 of 5 | 83-79 |
| 2004 | $53,585,000 | 20 of 30 | Brad Radke | $10,750,000 | 1 of 5 | 92-70 |
| 2003 | $55,505,000 | 18 of 30 | Brad Radke | $8,750,000 | 1 of 5 | 90-72 |
| 2002 | $40,425,000 | 27 of 30 | Brad Radke | $8,750,000 | 1 of 5 | 94-67 |
| 2001 | $24,130,000 | 30 of 30 | Brad Radke | $7,750,000 | 2 of 5 | 85-77 |
| 2000 | $16,519,500 | 30 of 30 | Brad Radke | $3,500,000 | 5 of 5 | 69-93 |
| 1999 | $21,257,500 | 30 of 30 | Rick Aguilera | $4,300,000 | 5 of 5 | 63-97 |
| 1998 | $27,927,500 | 24 of 30 | Paul Molitor | $4,250,000 | 4 of 5 | 70-92 |
| 1997 | $34,072,500 | 22 of 28 | Kirby Puckett | $7,200,000 | 4 of 5 | 68-94 |
| 1996 | $23,117,000 | 23 of 28 | Kirby Pucktt | $6,200,000 | 4 of 5 | 78-84 |
| 1995 | $25,410,500 | 24 of 28 | Kirby Puckett | $6,300,000 | 5 of 5 | 56-88 |
| 1994 | $28,438,500 | 21 of 28 | Kirby Puckett | $5,300,000 | 4 of 5 | 53-60 |
| 1993 | $28,217,933 | 20 of 28 | Kirby Puckett | $5,300,000 | 5 of 7 | 71-91 |
| 1992 | $28,027,834 | 17 of 26 | John Smiley | $3,400,000 | 2 of 7 | 90-72 |
| 1991 | $23,361,833 | 12 of 26 | Jack Morris | $3,700,000 | 1 of 7 | 95-67 |
| 1990 | $14,602,000 | 18 of 26 | Kirby Puckett | $2,816,667 | 7 of 7 | 74-88 |
| 1989 | $15,531,666 | 9 of 26 | Frank Viola | $2,766,666 | 5 of 7 | 80-82 |
| 1988 | $12,462,666 | 12 of 26 | Gary Gaetti | $1,666,666 | 2 of 7 | 91-71 |
| 1987 | $6,397,500 | 23 of 26 | Kent Hrbek | $1,310,000 | 1 of 7 | 85-77 |
| 1986 | $8,748,167 | 23 of 26 | Bert Blyleven | $1,450,000 | 6 of 7 | 71-91 |
| 1985 | $5,764,821 | 25 of 26 | Roy Smalley | $728,571 | 4 of 7 | 77-85 |
| 1984 | $1,960,000 | John Castino | $600,000 | 2 of 7 | 81-81 | |
| 1983 | $2,200,000 | Ron Davis | $475,000 | 5 of 7 | 70-92 | |
| 1982 | $1,981,000 | Roy Smalley | $600,000 | 7 of 7 | 60-102 | |
| 1981 | $2,256,667 | Butch Wynegar | $460,000 | 7 of 7 | 41-68 | |
| 1980 | $1,166,667 | 3 of 7 | 77-84 | |||
| 1979 | $366,667 | 4 of 7 | 82-80 | |||
| 1978 | $601,000 | 4 of 7 | 73-89 | |||
| 1977 | $589,200 | 4 of 7 | 84-77 | |||
| 1976 | $405,000 | 3 of 6 | 85-77 | |||
| 1975 | $359,500 | 4 of 6 | 76-83 | |||
| 1974 | $535,300 | 3 of 6 | 82-80 | |||
| 1973 | $485,500 | 3 of 6 | 81-81 | |||
| 1972 | $519,850 | 3 of 6 | 77-77 | |||
| 1971 | $657,600 | 5 of 6 | 74-86 | |||
| 1970 | $485,500 | 1 of 6 | 98-64 | |||
| 1969 | $465,500 | 1 of 6 | 97-65 | |||
| 1968 | $392,900 | 7 of 10 | 79-83 | |||
| 1967 | $382,500 | 2 of 10 | 91-71 | |||
| 1966 | $367,700 | 2 of 10 | 89-73 | |||
| 1965 | $234,200 | 1 of 10 | 102-60 | |||
| 1964 | $176,500 (Incomplete) | 6 of 10 | 79-83 | |||
| 1963 | $39,500 (Incomplete) | 3 of 10 | 91-70 | |||
| 1962 | $29,500 (Incomplete) | 2 of 10 | 91-71 | |||
| 1961 | ? | 7 of 10 | 70-90 |
Forbes list of MLB team values in 2012
Forbes annually publishes what they perceive to be the values of all the major league baseball teams taking a number of things into consideration. You can find their most current list that was published on March 21, 2012 by going here. Once you are at their site and you see their value ranking list, you can get more detailed information on what makes up a particulars teams value by clicking on the team name. The Minnesota Twins are ranked number 14 in team value down two notches from last years 12th ranking and you can see the detailed info that was collected by Forbes by clicking here. In the AL Central division, the White Sox are rated number 10, same as last season, the Detroit Tigers are number 17, up from number 21 last year, the Cleveland Indians are number 26, down one spot from 2011 and the Kansas City Royals are number 27, also down one spot from last year. As you would expect the New York Yankees are number 1 and the Oakland Athletics took over the bottom rung from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Forbes list of MLB team values in 2011
Forbes annually publishes what they perceive to be the values of all the major league baseball teams taking a number of things into consideration. You can find their most current list that was published on March 22, 2011 by going here. Once you are at their site and you see their value ranking list, you can get more detailed information on what makes up a particulars teams value by clicking on the team name. The Minnesota Twins are ranked number 12 in team value and you can see the detailed info that was collected by Forbes by clicking here. In the AL Central division, the White Sox are rated number 10, the Detroit Tigers are number 21, the Cleveland Indians are number 25 and the Kansas City Royals are number 26. As you would expect the New York Yankees are number 1 and the Pittsburgh Pirates bring up the rear.
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The Dollars of Baseball
The average salary in major league baseball in 2010 surpassed $3,000,000 for the first time. Free agency came into baseball in 1975 when arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that since pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally played for one season without a contract, they could become free agents. This decision essentially dismantled the reserve clause and opened the door to widespread free agency. At the time, the average big leaguer was making $44,676 and since then the average salary has risen over 6,600%. There is a very interesting all be it long (35 pages) historical write-up on the Reserve Clause written by Ben Heuer that you can check out here. There is also a nice piece on Curt Flood and his attempt in 1970 to fight the Reserve Clause after being traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies that you can read by going to this site.
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Salary Arbitration
A collective bargaining agreement was signed on February 23, 1973 between the players union and the owners which provided for “salary arbitration” as a means for resolving salary disputes. The process certainly is not loved by everyone; “The arbitration process is the worst thing that has happened to the Major League teams since the Black Sox scandal,” says one veteran executive who has worked for a number of clubs and has vast experience related to arbitration cases. The process however; can be difficult for both the player and the club involved. There is a relatively easy to understand “arbitration 101″ write-up on major league baseball that you can view at Arbitration 101.
Dick Woodson (courtesy of Twinscards.com)
The Minnesota Twins were involved in salary arbitration early on, as a matter of fact, Twins pitcher Dick Woodson was the first player to ever go through the process. On Monday, February 11, 1974 pitcher Woodson, Players Association attorney Richard Moss, Twins owner Calvin Griffith, and American league attorney James P. Garner all met in a room before arbitrator Henry Platt for more than four hours in MLB’s first salary arbitration hearing. When the smoke had cleared and this historic meeting was completed, Platt had ruled in favor of Dick Woodson and his request for $30,000 versus the $23,000 that owner Griffith had offered on behalf of the Minnesota Twins. The Woodson hearing was the first of 498 hearings that have taken place through March of 2011. Although Woodson won the hearing and the $30,000, neither he or owner Calvin Griffith were totally happy. After Griffith also lost hearings to Larry Hisle and Steve Braun he reacted angrily by saying “It cost me about $15,000. But I’ll find a way to get my money back, I’ll trade ‘em.” Infielder Steve Braun and outfielder Larry Hisle survived the 1974 season but Woodson did not, Griffith held true to his word and sent Woodson packing to the New York Yankees for minor league pitcher Mike Pazik. After pitching in only 8 games for the Yankees, Woodson was sent to the minors and never pitched in the big leagues again. To listen to Dick Woodson talk about his salary arbitration process, just click on the play button below.
Dick Woodson talks about the first salary arbitration case
The era of salary arbitration had begun. In 1974 and 1975 the arbitration system had produced positive results for the players regardless if they had won or lost their cases. The Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith arbitration decisions and the difficult labor relations climate in general in baseball produced a lockout of the players during spring training in 1976 from March 1-17 and salary arbitration was suspended and a new agreement was not in place until July. All players whose contracts had expired after the 1976 season were declared to be free agents so no salary arbitration was required in 1977. When the 1976 agreement was reached, the arbitration process that was used for 1974 and 1975 was modified and a player could only go to arbitration through consent from both the club and the player. In addition, free agency was granted with six years of service. During the 1980 negotiations, ownership pressed to eliminate salary arbitration with a fixed salary scheme and compensation for a team losing a player to free agency but instead ended up with an agreement that reduced arbitration to only two years of service. Over the years a number of changes have taken place to the salary arbitration process and you can read all about them by going to this very interesting Marquette Sports Law Review article written in 2009.
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MLB Salary Arbitration Cases Heard
| Year | Arbitration cases heard | Player wins | Club wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 2011 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 2009 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2008 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 2007 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 2006 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 2005 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2004 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 2003 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 2002 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2001 | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| 2000 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 1999 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 1998 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 1997 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 1996 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| 1995 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| 1994 | 16 | 6 | 10 |
| 1993 | 18 | 6 | 12 |
| 1992 | 20 | 9 | 11 |
| 1991 | 17 | 6 | 11 |
| 1990 | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| 1989 | 12 | 7 | 5 |
| 1988 | 18 | 7 | 11 |
| 1987 | 26 | 10 | 16 |
| 1986 | 35 | 15 | 20 |
| 1985 | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| 1984 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| 1983 | 30 | 13 | 17 |
| 1982 | 23 | 8 | 15 |
| 1981 | 21 | 11 | 10 |
| 1980 | 26 | 15 | 11 |
| 1979 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| 1978 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 1977 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1976 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1975 | 16 | 6 | 10 |
| 1974 | 29 | 13 | 16 |
| TOTALS | 505 | 214 (42.38%) | 291 (57.62%) |
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Minnesota Twins Salary Arbitration Cases
The Twins have gone to arbitration a total of 28 times since the process started and they have won 15 times (54%) and the players have won 13 times (46%). Only the Oakland A’s (35 times), the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals (32 times), and the Cincinnati Reds (31 times) have gone through the arbitration process more frequently than the Minnesota Twins 28 times. Tampa Bay has never lost an arbitration case but then again they have only had 5 chances at the process.
Twins pitcher Dick Woodson was the first player to ever go through the arbitration process and you can listen to Dick’s take on the experience in the interview I did with Dick which you can find on this same page.
Since 1999 the Twins have only been to arbitration three times and they have not been there at all since Kyle Loshe took them to arbitration in 2006. Like most teams, the Twins try to settle before going through the process because the process can be so difficult for both the player and the team.
| Year | Name | Player number | Twins Number | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Kyle Lohse | $3,950,000 | $3.400,000 | Lohse |
| 2005 | Kyle Lohse | $2,400,000 | $2,150,000 | Lohse |
| 2004 | Johan Santana | $2,450,000 | $1,600,000 | Twins |
| 1999 | Matt Lawton | $2,400,000 | $1,700,000 | Twins |
| 1998 | Frankie Rodriguez | $880,000 | $425,000 | Twins |
| 1996 | Chuck Knoblauch | $4,670,000 | $3,750,000 | Knoblauch |
| 1986 | Gary Gaetti | $675,000 | $515,000 | Twins |
| 1986 | Tim Laudner | $250,000 | $155,000 | Twins |
| 1986 | Frank Viola | $674,000 | $525,000 | Viola |
| 1985 | Tom Brunansky | $600,000 | $425,000 | Twins |
| 1983 | Bobby Castillo | $350,000 | $185,000 | Twins |
| 1983 | Ron Davis | $475,000 | $360,000 | Davis |
| 1982 | Roger Erickson | $160,000 | $105,000 | Erickson |
| 1981 | John Castino | $210,000 | $150,000 | Castino |
| 1981 | Ron Jackson | $200,000 | $130,500 | Jackson |
| 1980 | Ron Jackson | $150,000 | $115,000 | Twins |
| 1980 | Geoff Zahn | $200,000 | $130,000 | Zahn |
| 1978 | Mike Cubbage | $72,500 | $51,000 | Twins |
| 1978 | Tom Johnson | $92,500 | $62,000 | Johnson |
| 1978 | Roy Smalley | $110,000 | $85,000 | Twins |
| 1978 | Geoff Zahn | $59,000 | $45,000 | Twins |
| 1975 | Bert Blyleven | $85,000 | $65,000 | Twins |
| 1975 | Steve Braun | $39,500 | $36,500 | Twins |
| 1975 | Tom Burgmeier | $35,000 | $28,500 | Twins |
| 1975 | Rod Carew | $140,000 | $120,000 | Twins |
| 1974 | Larry Hisle | $29,000 | $23,000 | Hisle |
| 1974 | Steve Braun | $31,000 | $25,000 | Braun |
| 1974 | Dick Woodson | $30,000 | $23,000 | Woodson |