The 2002 Minnesota Twins were an exciting team to watch—even without a marquee roster.

Their ace, Brad Radke, missed 10 starts. Their best pitcher, Rick Reed, had 15 wins and didn’t pitch in the majors after the 2003 season. Torii Hunter led the club with 29 home runs and 94 RBI; Jacque Jones set the pace with a .300 average, 96 runs, and 173 hits.

The 2002 Twins weren’t bought—they were built. They didn’t have a superstar; they had young players who were hungry to win. They thrived on hustle and small-ball.

The Minnesota payroll was roughly $40 million in 2002. The team's highest paid player, Radke, made $8 million a year. Of the 11 position players who played over 100 games, eight were drafted by the Twins.

The Twins won the AL Central in 2002, then beat the A’s in the ALDS and lost to the World Series-winning Angels in the ALCS. They looked to be a club with a very bright future.

So much for that.

As it stands, only two players who played for the 2002 Twins—Johan Santana and Juan Rincon—are still on the Minnesota roster. And if the trade rumors about Santana are true, that number may soon be down to one.

The Twins won the Central in 2003 and 2004, but lost to the Yankees in the ALDS both times. Since their 2002 run, they're 1-9 in the playoffs.

And speaking of the postseason, four players from that 2002 team have gone on to win World Series rings with other clubs: Doug Mientkiewicz and David Ortiz with the 2004 Red Sox, A.J. Pierzynski with the 2005 White Sox, and Ortiz and Bobby Kielty with the 2007 Red Sox.

So what happened?

The 2002 Twins had a youth movement that teams like the Royals, Pirates, and Devil Rays can only dream of. They had All-Stars and future All-Stars. They had a two-time Cy Young winner in the making in Santana. They had to move a future slugger, Ortiz, to make room for a future MVP, Justin Morneau.

The club also had one of the most respected GMs in baseball in Terry Ryan, who'd built one of the game's most impressive farm systems. The Twins didn’t have enough room on their roster for all the stars they had in the minors.

Then the Twins did what every small market team in Major League Baseball is ultimately forced to do: They sacrificed for the bottom line.

Hunter is already gone, because the club couldn't afford him. Santana looks to be next in line. If the past is any indication, Morneau, Joe Mauer, and Francisco Liriano won't last long in Minnesota.

The 2007 Rockies made the World Series by developing a strong crop of homegrown talent. Will they be able to keep it together when their young stars come asking for big bucks...or will they end up like the 2002 Twins?