Here's a very basic web site that has some very good information all in one place: the opening day payrolls of every MLB team from 1998-present.
That has allowed us to show you where the Twins have ranked every year during that span:
1998: 24th
1999: 29th
2000: 30th (last)
2001: 30th (last)
2002: 27th
2003: 18th
2004: 19th
2005: 20th
2006: 19th
2007: 18th
2008: 25th
2009: 24th
2010: 11th
2011: 9th
2012: 13th
2013: 22nd
2014: 24th
What do these numbers tell us? Well, there are nuances — but here are some things we think they tell us as we go back through the years:
*When they were constantly rebuilding and not even trying to compete in the late 1990s/2000, the payroll reflected it.
*When they won their first division title in 2002 with a very young core, they got away with a dirt cheap roster.
*When the Twins kept winning in the mid-2000s and some of their better young players started making more money, their payroll jumped from bottom of the barrel to lower-middle (18th-20th from 2003-07).
*Without Johan Santana and Torii Hunter in 2008, the payroll again dipped as the Twins successfully rebuilt on the fly — hence getting away with lower payrolls with a new young core even though both seasons featured a Game 163 (one win, one loss).
*When the Twins moved into Target Field, some of those players were due to get paid, while the organization was suddenly flush with cash for the first time. Free agents came in. Payroll climbed to higher levels than at any other time from 2010-12 — one very good season and two other dreadful seasons.
*In the past two seasons, in the midst of a rebuild, the Twins scaled back the payroll as they went with younger players.
In short: The Twins have had the most success during this span when they develop successful young cores with modest payrolls. When they have run into trouble is when their young players aren't ready to compete yet (recent seasons, plus the late 1990s) or when a high-budget veteran roster all falls apart at once (2011, 2012).
The Twins in 2015 figure to be around 25th in the majors in payroll. If things go exceedingly well and next year is a lot like 2001 (a young core blossoming at once), they will likely get away with a couple more years of lower payrolls while still being competitive until those young players get paid and bump the payroll back toward the middle of the pack. If the Twins' brass is feeling particularly good about those teams, they might make a short-term run at some higher-priced players and bump the payroll into the top-10 range, though they will certainly be wary of the lessons learned in 2011.
Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, free throws and more will be critical as the Western Conference finals begin tonight.
