Study: Twins are more salary-efficient than Vikings, Wolves

As hard as it might be for some Minnesota sports fans to believe, the Twins are the most efficiently spending team in Minnesota since 2000.

The study, which was done by NerdWallet, has found the Twins actually rank 20th out of all 92 professional baseball, basketball and football teams in terms of salary efficiency.

The study means that the Twins, who have been the subject of ridicule and scorn for their penny-pinching ways over the years, actually get more wins for their money than either the Vikings or Timberwolves.

Since 2000, teams in the NFL, NBA and MLB have spent nearly $113 billion on player salaries, but just because teams have spent a lot of money, doesn't mean it'll equate to wins on the field or court.

It's probably no surprise the New England Patriots top the overall list, while the San Antonio Spurs is second and the Miami Marlins round out the top three. Teams like the Yankees, Knicks and Mets – all big spenders – find themselves near the bottom.

Back to the Twins for a moment: NerdWallet found they are ninth in salary efficiency in Major League Baseball – one spot ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Vikings are considered the 20th-most salary efficient NFL team, well below both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. But at least they are ahead of the Lions, who rank dead last in the NFL.

Overall, the Vikings were ranked 64th, but the survey is was worse for the Timberwolves.

The Wolves are 29th in salary efficiency – second from the bottom in the NBA. The only team worse is the Knicks.

The study didn't focus on the NHL, so the Minnesota Wild were not mentioned in this post.