MINNESOTA TWINS EXECUTIVES SAY THE TEAM'S BEST CHANCE OF BREAKING EVEN IN THE NEXT TWO BASEBALL SEASONS LIES IN CUTTING THEIR PAYROLL. THAT HELPS EXPLAIN WHY THE TWINS LET GO OF SEVERAL OF THEIR BEST-PAID PLAYERS THIS FALL. BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR WHERE THIS SHORT-TERM STRATEGY WILL LEAD THEM. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS MORE... TWINS EXECUTIVES REPORTEDLY HOPE TO START THE 1999 SEASON WITH A PLAYER PAYROLL IN THE TEN-T0-TWELVE MILLION DOLLAR RANGE ... AND IN THE MARKETPLACE OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEN MILLION DOLLARS DOESN'T BUY MUCH THESE DAYS. SEVERAL OF THE GAME'S TOP PLAYERS HAVE ANNUAL SALARIES LARGER THAN THAT. THE WEALTHIEST TEAMS HAVE PAYROLLS OF EIGHTY AND EIGHTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.