GM: Jim Frey (since 1988)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryne Sandberg | 28 | FA-elig | 155 | 4.2 | 0.8 | +0.5 |
| Andre Dawson | 33 | FA-elig | 157 | 4.2 | 1.9 | -0.5 |
| Greg Maddux | 22 | pre-arb | 37 | 4.0 | 0.1 | +1.2 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 32 | FA-elig | 33 | 3.5 | 2.1 | -1.0 |
| Calvin Schiraldi | 26 | arb | 29 | 2.5 | 0.2 | +0.6 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | 23 | pre-arb | 152 | 2.4 | 0.1 | +0.7 |
| Vance Law | 31 | FA-elig | 151 | 2.0 | 0.4 | +0.3 |
| Damon Berryhill | 24 | pre-arb | 95 | 1.9 | 0.1 | +0.5 |
| Jamie Moyer | 25 | pre-arb | 34 | 1.8 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| Jeff Pico | 22 | pre-arb | 29 | 1.3 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| Mark Grace | 24 | pre-arb | 134 | 1.1 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Darrin Jackson | 24 | arb | 100 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Mitch Webster↔ WSN | 29 | arb | 70 | 0.8 | 0.3 | -0.0 |
| Frank DiPino | 31 | FA-elig | 63 | 0.8 | 0.5 | -0.2 |
| Jody Davis↔ ATL | 31 | FA-elig | 88 | 0.6 | 1.1 | -0.9 |
| Mike Harkey | 21 | – | 5 | 0.5 | – | – |
| Mike Bielecki | 28 | arb | 19 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Jim Sundberg↔ TEX | 37 | FA-elig | 24 | 0.3 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| Shawon Dunston | 25 | arb | 155 | 0.3 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Doug Dascenzo | 24 | – | 26 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Rich Gossage | 36 | FA-elig | 46 | 0.2 | 1.3 | -1.3 |
| Pat Perry↔ CIN | 29 | arb | 35 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Leon Durham↔ CIN | 30 | FA-elig | 24 | 0.2 | 0.7 | -0.7 |
| Manny Trillo | 37 | FA-elig | 76 | 0.1 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
| Scott Sanderson | 31 | FA-elig | 11 | 0.1 | 0.9 | -0.9 |
| Les Lancaster | 26 | pre-arb | 44 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Bill Landrum | 30 | – | 7 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Dave Meier | 28 | – | 2 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Rick Wrona | 24 | – | 4 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Bob Tewksbury | 27 | – | 1 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Drew Hall | 25 | pre-arb | 19 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Kevin Blankenship↔ ATL | 25 | – | 1 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Dave Martinez↔ WSN | 23 | pre-arb | 75 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Gary Varsho | 27 | pre-arb | 46 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Rolando Roomes | 26 | pre-arb | 17 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Al Nipper | 29 | arb | 22 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Angel Salazar | 26 | – | 34 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Mike Capel | 26 | pre-arb | 22 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Jerry Mumphrey | 35 | FA-elig | 63 | -1.0 | 0.6 | -0.9 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 31 of them (79%). 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 |