GM: Jim Frey (since 1988)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryne Sandberg | 29 | FA-elig | 157 | 5.7 | 0.9 | +1.1 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 33 | FA-elig | 37 | 4.1 | 2.3 | -0.9 |
| Greg Maddux | 23 | arb | 35 | 4.0 | 0.3 | +1.2 |
| Mark Grace | 25 | pre-arb | 142 | 3.8 | 0.1 | +1.2 |
| Dwight Smith | 25 | pre-arb | 109 | 2.5 | 0.1 | +0.8 |
| Mike Bielecki | 29 | arb | 33 | 2.5 | 0.1 | +0.8 |
| Les Lancaster | 27 | pre-arb | 42 | 2.3 | 0.1 | +0.7 |
| Andre Dawson | 34 | FA-elig | 118 | 2.0 | 2.1 | -1.4 |
| Jerome Walton | 23 | pre-arb | 116 | 2.0 | 0.1 | +0.6 |
| Shawon Dunston | 26 | arb | 138 | 1.8 | 0.6 | +0.1 |
| Scott Sanderson | 32 | FA-elig | 37 | 1.3 | 0.8 | -0.3 |
| Damon Berryhill | 25 | pre-arb | 91 | 1.3 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| Mitch Webster | 30 | FA-elig | 98 | 1.2 | 0.6 | -0.1 |
| Lloyd McClendon | 30 | pre-arb | 92 | 1.0 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Paul Kilgus | 27 | pre-arb | 35 | 1.0 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Steve Wilson | 24 | pre-arb | 53 | 1.0 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Domingo Ramos | 31 | FA-elig | 85 | 0.9 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Joe Girardi | 24 | pre-arb | 59 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Rick Wrona | 25 | pre-arb | 38 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Vance Law | 32 | FA-elig | 130 | 0.2 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
| Joe Kraemer | 24 | – | 1 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Pat Perry | 30 | – | 19 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Luis Salazar↔ SDP | 33 | FA-elig | 26 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jeff Pico | 23 | – | 53 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Kevin Blankenship | 26 | – | 2 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Paul Assenmacher↔ ATL | 28 | arb | 14 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Darrin Jackson↔ SDP | 26 | arb | 45 | -0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Dean Wilkins | 22 | – | 11 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Curtis Wilkerson | 28 | FA-elig | 77 | -0.1 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| Greg Smith | 22 | – | 4 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Gary Varsho | 28 | – | 61 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Phil Stephenson↔ SDP | 28 | – | 17 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Mitch Williams | 24 | arb | 76 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Marvell Wynne↔ SDP | 29 | FA-elig | 20 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Doug Dascenzo | 25 | – | 47 | -0.7 | – | – |
| Calvin Schiraldi↔ SDP | 27 | arb | 54 | -0.8 | 0.4 | -0.6 |
36 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 27 of them (75%). 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 |