GM: Dallas Green (since 1981)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jody Davis | 29 | arb | 148 | 4.2 | 0.8 | +0.4 |
| Dennis Eckersley | 31 | FA-elig | 33 | 3.9 | 0.8 | +0.4 |
| Ryne Sandberg | 26 | arb | 154 | 3.0 | 0.7 | +0.2 |
| Scott Sanderson | 29 | FA-elig | 38 | 2.3 | 0.8 | -0.1 |
| Steve Trout | 28 | FA-elig | 37 | 2.1 | 0.9 | -0.3 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 30 | FA-elig | 29 | 1.9 | 1.5 | -1.0 |
| Davey Lopes↔ HOU | 41 | FA-elig | 59 | 1.8 | 0.3 | +0.2 |
| Lee Smith | 28 | FA-elig | 66 | 1.8 | 0.7 | -0.2 |
| Ron Cey | 38 | FA-elig | 97 | 1.6 | 1.4 | -0.9 |
| Ed Lynch↔ NYM | 30 | FA-elig | 23 | 1.2 | 0.5 | -0.1 |
| Chris Speier | 36 | FA-elig | 95 | 0.9 | 0.3 | -0.0 |
| Guy Hoffman | 29 | – | 33 | 0.9 | – | – |
| Leon Durham | 28 | FA-elig | 141 | 0.7 | 1.0 | -0.8 |
| Shawon Dunston | 23 | pre-arb | 150 | 0.7 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Greg Maddux | 20 | – | 6 | 0.5 | – | – |
| Dave Gumpert | 28 | arb | 38 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Jamie Moyer | 23 | pre-arb | 16 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Thad Bosley | 29 | FA-elig | 87 | 0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Drew Hall | 23 | – | 5 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Frank DiPino↔ HOU | 29 | arb | 30 | 0.3 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Brian Dayett | 29 | – | 24 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Steve Lake↔ STL | 29 | arb | 10 | 0.2 | 0.0 | +0.0 |
| Manny Trillo | 35 | FA-elig | 81 | 0.2 | 0.6 | -0.5 |
| Gary Matthews Sr. | 35 | FA-elig | 123 | 0.2 | 0.8 | -0.8 |
| Matt Keough↔ HOU | 30 | FA-elig | 19 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Ray Fontenot↔ MIN | 28 | arb | 42 | 0.0 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Ron Davis↔ MIN | 30 | FA-elig | 17 | -0.0 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | 21 | – | 22 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Steve Christmas | 28 | – | 3 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Jerry Mumphrey | 33 | FA-elig | 111 | -0.1 | 0.8 | -0.9 |
| George Frazier↔ MIN | 31 | FA-elig | 35 | -0.2 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Chico Walker | 28 | – | 28 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Mike Martin | 27 | pre-arb | 8 | -0.3 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jay Baller | 25 | – | 36 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Terry Francona | 27 | arb | 86 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
| Dick Ruthven | 35 | FA-elig | 6 | -0.4 | 1.1 | -1.2 |
| Bob Dernier | 29 | FA-elig | 108 | -0.8 | 0.6 | -0.8 |
| Keith Moreland | 32 | FA-elig | 156 | -1.0 | 0.8 | -1.1 |
| Dave Martinez | 21 | – | 53 | -1.2 | – | – |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 30 of them (77%). Players without a salary show "–" — no single historical salary source is fully complete (especially 2020–2022).
WAR = FanGraphs (fWAR). Green = produced more value than paid (bargain); red = paid more than produced. Service: pre-arb (<3 yr) / arb (3–6) / FA-eligible (6+). Click headers to sort.
| Player | Year | WAR for CHC |
|---|---|---|
| Sammy Sosa | 1992 | 60.7 |
| Ryne Sandberg | 1982 | 48.2 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 2012 | 31.1 |
| Aramis Ramírez | 2003 | 25.0 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 2012 | 24.4 |
| Derrek Lee | 2003 | 21.4 |
| Jake Arrieta | 2013 | 19.6 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 1984 | 17.2 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Palmeiro | 1988 | 42.3 |
| Dontrelle Willis | 2002 | 20.7 |
| Dennis Eckersley | 1987 | 19.3 |
| Ricky Nolasco | 2005 | 17.5 |
| Jon Garland | 1998 | 17.2 |
| Chris Archer | 2011 | 16.9 |
| Gleyber Torres | 2016 | 15.9 |
| Josh Donaldson | 2008 | 13.8 |