GM: Jim Bowden (since 1993)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Rijo | 28 | FA-elig | 36 | 8.0 | 4.1 | +2.5 |
| Barry Larkin | 29 | FA-elig | 100 | 3.5 | 5.8 | -2.9 |
| Kevin Mitchell | 31 | FA-elig | 93 | 2.9 | 3.8 | -1.4 |
| Reggie Sanders | 25 | pre-arb | 138 | 2.5 | 0.3 | +1.8 |
| Tim Belcher↔ CHW | 31 | FA-elig | 22 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -0.4 |
| Roberto Kelly | 28 | FA-elig | 78 | 2.2 | 3.1 | -1.3 |
| Tim Pugh | 26 | pre-arb | 31 | 1.5 | 0.1 | +1.1 |
| Tom Browning | 33 | FA-elig | 21 | 1.5 | 2.2 | -1.0 |
| Chris Sabo | 31 | arb | 148 | 1.4 | 3.1 | -2.0 |
| Hal Morris | 28 | arb | 101 | 1.3 | 1.3 | -0.2 |
| Joe Oliver | 27 | arb | 139 | 1.2 | 1.2 | -0.2 |
| Randy Milligan↔ CLE | 31 | FA-elig | 83 | 1.2 | 0.5 | +0.5 |
| John Smiley | 28 | FA-elig | 18 | 1.0 | 3.5 | -2.6 |
| Jeff Reardon | 37 | FA-elig | 58 | 0.8 | 0.5 | +0.1 |
| Larry Luebbers | 23 | – | 14 | 0.7 | – | – |
| Thomas Howard↔ CLE | 28 | arb | 38 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| John Roper | 21 | – | 16 | 0.5 | – | – |
| Steve Foster | 26 | pre-arb | 17 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Bill Landrum | 35 | – | 18 | 0.4 | – | – |
| Jerry Spradlin | 26 | – | 37 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Ross Powell | 25 | pre-arb | 9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Jacob Brumfield | 28 | pre-arb | 103 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Scott Service↔ COL | 26 | arb | 27 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Johnny Ruffin | 21 | pre-arb | 21 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Brian Dorsett | 32 | – | 25 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Cecil Espy | 30 | FA-elig | 40 | 0.1 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
| Keith Kessinger | 26 | – | 11 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Jeff Kaiser↔ NYM | 32 | – | 3 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Dwayne Henry↔ SEA | 31 | FA-elig | 3 | -0.0 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Keith Gordon | 24 | – | 3 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Chris Bushing | 25 | – | 6 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Milt Hill | 27 | – | 19 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Keith Hughes | 29 | – | 3 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Willie Greene | 21 | – | 15 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Greg Tubbs | 30 | – | 35 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Tommy Gregg | 29 | FA-elig | 10 | -0.2 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Bip Roberts | 29 | FA-elig | 83 | -0.2 | 3.9 | -4.0 |
| Mike Anderson | 26 | – | 3 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Greg Cadaret↔ KCR | 31 | FA-elig | 34 | -0.2 | 0.9 | -1.1 |
| Jack Daugherty↔ HOU | 32 | – | 46 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Scott Ruskin | 30 | – | 4 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Brian Koelling | 24 | – | 7 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Gary Varsho | 32 | arb | 77 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -0.7 |
| Cesar Hernandez | 26 | pre-arb | 27 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Tim Costo | 24 | pre-arb | 31 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 |
| Kevin Wickander↔ CLE | 28 | arb | 33 | -0.6 | 0.1 | -0.6 |
| Dan Wilson | 24 | pre-arb | 36 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -0.7 |
| Bobby Ayala | 23 | pre-arb | 43 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -0.7 |
| Rob Dibble | 29 | arb | 45 | -1.1 | 2.5 | -3.4 |
| Juan Samuel | 32 | FA-elig | 103 | -1.1 | 0.7 | -1.6 |
| Jeff Branson | 26 | pre-arb | 125 | -1.5 | 0.2 | -1.4 |
51 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 34 of them (67%). 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 CIN |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Phillips | 2006 | 30.1 |
| Aaron Harang | 2003 | 19.3 |
| Sean Casey | 1998 | 15.9 |
| Luis Castillo | 2017 | 13.9 |
| Ken Griffey | 2000 | 10.6 |
| Anthony DeSclafani | 2014 | 8.2 |
| Dmitri Young | 1997 | 7.5 |
| Norm Charlton | 1986 | 7.3 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 1998 | 24.5 |
| Mike Cameron | 2000 | 19.8 |
| Charlie Leibrandt | 1983 | 16.8 |
| Jeff Montgomery | 1988 | 12.0 |
| Dave Burba | 1998 | 11.7 |
| Luis Castillo | 2022 | 8.7 |
| John Franco | 1989 | 8.7 |
| Brad Keller | 2017 | 7.9 |