GM: Phil Seghi (since 1974)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Blyleven↔ MIN | 34 | FA-elig | 23 | 4.2 | 0.4 | +0.7 |
| Brett Butler | 28 | arb | 152 | 3.8 | 0.4 | +0.6 |
| Neal Heaton | 25 | arb | 36 | 2.0 | 0.2 | +0.3 |
| Brook Jacoby | 25 | arb | 161 | 1.6 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Julio Franco | 26 | arb | 160 | 1.6 | 0.5 | -0.0 |
| Tony Bernazard | 28 | FA-elig | 153 | 1.4 | 0.4 | -0.0 |
| Jerry Willard | 25 | – | 104 | 1.3 | – | – |
| Don Schulze | 22 | – | 19 | 1.3 | – | – |
| Vern Ruhle | 34 | FA-elig | 42 | 1.0 | 0.3 | -0.0 |
| Joe Carter | 25 | pre-arb | 143 | 0.9 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Mike Hargrove | 35 | FA-elig | 107 | 0.9 | 0.5 | -0.2 |
| Roy Smith | 23 | – | 12 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Carmen Castillo | 27 | – | 67 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Keith Creel | 26 | – | 15 | 0.4 | – | – |
| Jamie Easterly | 32 | FA-elig | 50 | 0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Jeff Barkley | 25 | – | 21 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Pat Tabler | 27 | arb | 117 | 0.2 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Ernie Camacho | 30 | arb | 2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jim Wilson | 24 | – | 4 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Mel Hall | 24 | arb | 23 | -0.0 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Dave Vonohlen | 26 | – | 26 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Curt Wardle↔ MIN | 24 | – | 15 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Rick Behenna | 25 | – | 4 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Mike Jeffcoat↔ SFG | 25 | – | 9 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Jerry Reed | 29 | – | 33 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Jose Roman | 22 | – | 5 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Andre Thornton | 35 | FA-elig | 124 | -0.2 | 1.1 | -1.1 |
| Mike Fischlin | 29 | FA-elig | 73 | -0.2 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Benny Ayala | 34 | FA-elig | 46 | -0.3 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Tom Waddell | 26 | pre-arb | 49 | -0.4 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Bryan Clark | 28 | – | 31 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Johnnie LeMaster↔ PIT | 31 | FA-elig | 11 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Butch Benton | 27 | – | 31 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Otis Nixon | 26 | – | 104 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Ramon Romero | 26 | – | 19 | -0.7 | – | – |
| Rich Thompson | 26 | – | 57 | -1.0 | – | – |
| George Vukovich | 29 | arb | 149 | -1.2 | 0.4 | -0.7 |
| Chris Bando | 29 | arb | 73 | -1.5 | 0.2 | -0.6 |
38 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 20 of them (53%). 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 CLE |
|---|---|---|
| Kenny Lofton | 1991 | 42.5 |
| Corey Kluber | 2010 | 34.6 |
| Grady Sizemore | 2002 | 30.3 |
| Carlos Carrasco | 2009 | 25.5 |
| Travis Hafner | 2002 | 22.3 |
| Carlos Santana | 2008 | 21.6 |
| Michael Brantley | 2008 | 20.0 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | 2006 | 19.2 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Kent | 1996 | 30.9 |
| Brandon Phillips | 2006 | 30.1 |
| Brian Giles | 1998 | 25.4 |
| Von Hayes | 1982 | 22.3 |
| Yandy Díaz | 2018 | 19.5 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | 1984 | 17.2 |
| Jeromy Burnitz | 1996 | 17.1 |
| Sean Casey | 1998 | 15.9 |