GM: Larry Himes (since 1992)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Wilkins | 26 | pre-arb | 136 | 6.7 | 0.2 | +5.2 |
| Mark Grace | 29 | arb | 155 | 4.9 | 3.1 | +1.0 |
| Sammy Sosa | 24 | arb | 159 | 4.6 | 0.7 | +3.0 |
| Steve Buechele | 31 | FA-elig | 133 | 3.6 | 2.9 | +0.0 |
| Ryne Sandberg | 33 | FA-elig | 117 | 2.4 | 6.0 | -4.0 |
| Mike Morgan | 33 | FA-elig | 32 | 2.3 | 3.4 | -1.5 |
| Jose Guzman | 30 | FA-elig | 30 | 1.9 | 3.5 | -1.9 |
| Greg Hibbard | 28 | arb | 32 | 1.9 | 1.4 | +0.1 |
| Jose Vizcaino | 25 | arb | 151 | 1.8 | 0.2 | +1.2 |
| Randy Myers | 30 | FA-elig | 74 | 1.7 | 3.8 | -2.4 |
| Dwight Smith | 29 | arb | 111 | 1.7 | 0.7 | +0.7 |
| Rey Sanchez | 25 | pre-arb | 105 | 1.6 | 0.2 | +1.1 |
| Glenallen Hill↔ CLE | 28 | arb | 31 | 1.6 | 0.3 | +1.0 |
| Mike Harkey | 26 | arb | 28 | 1.1 | 0.4 | +0.5 |
| Derrick May | 24 | arb | 128 | 0.9 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Jose Bautista | 28 | arb | 60 | 0.9 | 0.2 | +0.6 |
| Frank Castillo | 24 | pre-arb | 29 | 0.9 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Turk Wendell | 26 | – | 7 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Karl Rhodes↔ HOU | 24 | arb | 15 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Steve Lake | 36 | FA-elig | 44 | 0.4 | 0.3 | +0.0 |
| Bob Scanlan | 26 | pre-arb | 70 | 0.3 | 0.2 | +0.0 |
| Paul Assenmacher↔ NYY | 32 | FA-elig | 46 | 0.3 | 1.7 | -1.5 |
| Steve Trachsel | 22 | pre-arb | 3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Heathcliff Slocumb↔ CLE | 27 | pre-arb | 10 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Shawn Boskie | 26 | arb | 39 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.1 |
| Shawon Dunston | 30 | FA-elig | 7 | 0.0 | 3.4 | -3.4 |
| William Brennan | 30 | – | 8 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Jim Bullinger | 27 | pre-arb | 15 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Doug Jennings | 28 | – | 42 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Willie Wilson | 37 | FA-elig | 105 | -0.0 | 0.7 | -0.7 |
| Eric Yelding | 28 | arb | 69 | -0.1 | 0.2 | -0.3 |
| Eduardo Zambrano | 27 | – | 8 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Chuck McElroy | 25 | arb | 49 | -0.1 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Matt Walbeck | 23 | pre-arb | 11 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Tommy Shields | 28 | pre-arb | 20 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Dan Plesac | 31 | FA-elig | 57 | -0.2 | 1.7 | -1.8 |
| Candy Maldonado↔ CLE | 32 | FA-elig | 70 | -1.0 | 1.2 | -2.0 |
| Kevin Roberson | 25 | – | 62 | -1.1 | – | – |
38 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 33 of them (87%). 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 |