There's a saying in hiring and recruiting people to work in Minnesota (or the Upper Midwest): It's extremely difficult to get them to come here, but if you get them, it's almost impossible to get them to leave. The Twins are facing the same challenges that any employer does. It's compounded by the fact that most MLB players are from warmer climates. If they have the choice, familiarity and lifestyle is going to win out. At a certain point, an extra $10-20 million isn't going to sway things all that much. And yes, I think the prospect of winters lasting into early May and starting in mid-October is a factor for baseball players when they have the choice to largely avoid it. It's somewhat unique to baseball. Football is about the elements, and there's more variance in where players are from. I suppose it doesn't hurt that the Vikings play inside either. The Wild probably has an advantage because so many hockey players are from northern states or Canada. NBA is an indoor game, but even there it's tough to compete of the allure of Miami, LA, SF-- or if you don't mind the relative cold, NYC or Boston. Money will be a big factor, but it's a two way street and the final decision in free agency rests with the individual player. For the Twins, that means trading is the most likely path for impact pitching. And drafting/developing better than anyone.