GM: Jim Bowden (since 1993)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Rijo | 29 | FA-elig | 26 | 4.3 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Kevin Mitchell | 32 | FA-elig | 95 | 4.2 | 3.8 | +1.1 |
| Barry Larkin | 30 | FA-elig | 110 | 3.7 | 4.4 | -0.1 |
| Reggie Sanders | 26 | arb | 107 | 3.3 | 0.9 | +2.8 |
| Erik Hanson | 29 | FA-elig | 22 | 3.1 | 2.7 | +0.9 |
| John Smiley | 29 | FA-elig | 24 | 2.9 | 5.0 | -1.6 |
| Hal Morris | 29 | FA-elig | 112 | 2.3 | 2.1 | +0.5 |
| Tony Fernandez | 32 | FA-elig | 104 | 1.6 | 0.8 | +1.0 |
| Bret Boone | 25 | pre-arb | 108 | 1.5 | 0.2 | +1.6 |
| Chuck McElroy | 26 | arb | 52 | 1.2 | 0.5 | +0.8 |
| Jacob Brumfield | 29 | pre-arb | 68 | 1.1 | 0.2 | +1.1 |
| Jeff Brantley | 30 | FA-elig | 50 | 1.0 | 1.5 | -0.3 |
| Eddie Taubensee↔ HOU | 25 | arb | 61 | 1.0 | 0.3 | +0.8 |
| Pete Schourek | 25 | – | 22 | 0.9 | – | – |
| Jeff Branson | 27 | pre-arb | 58 | 0.6 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Brian Dorsett | 33 | FA-elig | 76 | 0.6 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Deion Sanders↔ ATL | 26 | arb | 46 | 0.5 | 1.8 | -1.2 |
| Roberto Kelly↔ ATL | 29 | FA-elig | 47 | 0.5 | 1.3 | -0.8 |
| Tim Pugh | 27 | pre-arb | 10 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +0.3 |
| Brian R. Hunter↔ PIT | 26 | arb | 9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | +0.4 |
| Hector Carrasco | 24 | pre-arb | 45 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Tim Fortugno | 32 | – | 25 | 0.2 | – | – |
| John Roper | 22 | – | 16 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Johnny Ruffin | 22 | pre-arb | 51 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Willie Greene | 22 | pre-arb | 16 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Lenny Harris | 29 | FA-elig | 66 | 0.1 | 0.5 | -0.3 |
| Steve Pegues↔ PIT | 26 | pre-arb | 11 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jerome Walton | 28 | arb | 46 | -0.0 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Tom Browning | 34 | FA-elig | 7 | -0.1 | 3.8 | -3.8 |
| Jerry Spradlin | 27 | – | 6 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Kevin Jarvis | 24 | pre-arb | 6 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Joe Oliver | 28 | arb | 6 | -0.1 | 2.5 | -2.6 |
| Scott Service | 27 | FA-elig | 6 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Rich DeLucia | 29 | arb | 8 | -0.2 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
| Thomas Howard | 29 | arb | 83 | -0.3 | 0.6 | -1.0 |
35 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 31 of them (89%). 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 |