As part of an article in “The Athletic” on November 22, Ken Rosenthal wrote this:
The Twins, aggressively exploring the market for rotation help, would love to sign a starter along the lines one of Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu. The high income tax rate in Minnesota, though, could present something of an obstacle.
The 9.85 percent rate in Minnesota is second only to California’s 13.3 percent (New York’s rate is higher than Minnesota’s when combining city and state rates, but most players live outside the city).
State income tax rate usually is not a primary consideration for free agents, but in certain cases the best gross deal might not be the best net deal, complicating the decision.
It made me snicker and wonder how long it will be before the Minnesota Twins start using this as an excuse for not being able to sign the big free agents. Maybe even start lobbying the state legislature to give Minnesota athletes a tax break?