GM: Jim Frey (since 1988)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryne Sandberg | 31 | – | 158 | 6.4 | – | – |
| Greg Maddux | 25 | arb | 39 | 6.3 | 2.4 | +1.3 |
| Andre Dawson | 36 | FA-elig | 149 | 2.5 | 3.3 | -1.8 |
| Frank Castillo | 22 | – | 18 | 2.5 | – | – |
| Paul Assenmacher | 30 | arb | 75 | 2.3 | 1.1 | +0.2 |
| Hector Villanueva | 26 | pre-arb | 71 | 1.9 | 0.1 | +1.0 |
| George Bell | 31 | FA-elig | 149 | 1.7 | 2.1 | -1.2 |
| Mark Grace | 27 | arb | 160 | 1.7 | 1.2 | -0.2 |
| Les Lancaster | 29 | arb | 64 | 1.6 | 0.6 | +0.4 |
| Shawon Dunston | 28 | FA-elig | 142 | 1.5 | 2.1 | -1.2 |
| Luis Salazar | 35 | FA-elig | 103 | 1.2 | 0.6 | +0.1 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 35 | FA-elig | 20 | 1.2 | 2.3 | -1.6 |
| Rick Wilkins | 24 | – | 86 | 1.1 | – | – |
| Jerome Walton | 25 | pre-arb | 123 | 1.0 | 0.2 | +0.4 |
| Bob Scanlan | 24 | – | 40 | 0.8 | – | – |
| Chuck McElroy | 23 | pre-arb | 71 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| Mike Bielecki↔ ATL | 31 | FA-elig | 39 | 0.6 | 0.8 | -0.4 |
| Shawn Boskie | 24 | pre-arb | 30 | 0.6 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Rey Sanchez | 23 | – | 13 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Mike Harkey | 24 | arb | 4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Yorkis Perez | 23 | – | 3 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Ced Landrum | 27 | – | 56 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Heathcliff Slocumb | 25 | pre-arb | 52 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Derrick May | 22 | – | 15 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Steve Wilson↔ LAD | 26 | arb | 9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Scott May | 29 | – | 2 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Jose Vizcaino | 23 | pre-arb | 93 | -0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Doug Dascenzo | 27 | arb | 118 | -0.0 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Doug Strange | 27 | – | 3 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Dave Pavlas | 28 | – | 1 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Chico Walker | 33 | – | 124 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Laddie Renfroe | 29 | – | 4 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Erik Pappas | 25 | pre-arb | 7 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Joe Girardi | 26 | pre-arb | 21 | -0.2 | 0.2 | -0.3 |
| Dwight Smith | 27 | pre-arb | 90 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
| Gary Scott | 22 | – | 31 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Damon Berryhill↔ ATL | 27 | arb | 62 | -0.5 | 0.2 | -0.5 |
| Danny Jackson | 29 | FA-elig | 17 | -0.6 | 2.6 | -3.0 |
| Dave Smith | 36 | FA-elig | 35 | -1.2 | 1.9 | -2.6 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 25 of them (64%). 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 |