Where are you getting your numbers?
Donaldson + Kiner-Falefa 2022 bWAR: 5.4
Urshela + Sanchez 2022 bWAR: 4.0
Donaldson + Kiner-Falefa 2022 fWAR: 2.9
Urshela + Sanchez 2022 fWAR: 3.7
That's basically a wash, except the Twins saved a boatload of money both in 2022 and 2023-2024. And they turned part of that money into Carlos Correa... twice.
What you consider "antics", I consider damned smart maneuvering (and I'm not a Twins FO apologist, I rip them pretty regularly). They took the front end of Donaldson's contract, got performance from it, and offloaded that back-end of the contract for equivalent performance at less money. That's some outside the box thinking and I think other front offices from small- and mid-market teams should pay attention.
Why would any team want to keep the back end of a high-risk, high-dollar contract if they don't have to do it? That side of the deal is almost always bad - and often terrible - for the team. You wouldn't have applauded the Brewers had they found a way out from under the final year of Cain's contract before last season and dedicated that money to a younger player? I mean, they're slightly different in that the Twins thought Donaldson was a nuisance and Cain is a good teammate, but the on-field performance risks are similar.