GM: Joe Klein (since 1986)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Jacoby | 27 | FA-elig | 155 | 4.7 | 0.6 | +0.7 |
| Brett Butler | 30 | FA-elig | 137 | 3.9 | 0.8 | +0.4 |
| Julio Franco | 28 | arb | 128 | 3.1 | 0.8 | +0.1 |
| Doug Jones | 30 | arb | 49 | 2.6 | 0.1 | +0.7 |
| Pat Tabler | 29 | FA-elig | 151 | 1.8 | 0.6 | -0.1 |
| Greg Swindell | 22 | pre-arb | 16 | 1.4 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Tom Candiotti | 30 | arb | 32 | 1.3 | 0.2 | +0.2 |
| Joe Carter | 27 | arb | 149 | 1.3 | 0.2 | +0.1 |
| Mel Hall | 26 | FA-elig | 142 | 1.0 | 0.6 | -0.3 |
| John Farrell | 24 | pre-arb | 10 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Phil Niekro↔ ATL | 48 | FA-elig | 22 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Ed Vande Berg | 28 | arb | 55 | 0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 |
| Don Gordon↔ TOR | 27 | pre-arb | 21 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Scott Bailes | 25 | pre-arb | 39 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Mark Huismann↔ SEA | 29 | – | 20 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Carmen Castillo | 29 | arb | 89 | 0.1 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Ernie Camacho | 32 | – | 15 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Jamie Easterly | 34 | FA-elig | 16 | 0.1 | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| Tommy Hinzo | 23 | pre-arb | 67 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Andy Allanson | 25 | pre-arb | 50 | 0.0 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Brian Dorsett | 26 | – | 5 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Tony Bernazard↔ OAK | 30 | FA-elig | 79 | -0.0 | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| Frank Wills | 28 | – | 6 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Eddie Williams | 22 | pre-arb | 22 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Steve Carlton↔ MIN | 42 | – | 23 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Jeff Kaiser | 26 | – | 2 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Chris Bando | 31 | FA-elig | 89 | -0.2 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Tom Waddell | 28 | – | 6 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Ken Schrom | 32 | FA-elig | 32 | -0.2 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| Dave Gallagher | 26 | – | 15 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Sammy Stewart | 32 | FA-elig | 25 | -0.2 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Casey Parsons | 33 | – | 18 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Rick Dempsey | 37 | FA-elig | 60 | -0.3 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Otis Nixon | 28 | – | 19 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Mike Armstrong | 33 | – | 14 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Reggie Ritter | 27 | pre-arb | 14 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Cory Snyder | 24 | pre-arb | 157 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Dave Clark | 24 | – | 29 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Doug Frobel | 28 | – | 29 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Junior Noboa | 22 | arb | 39 | -0.6 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Jay Bell | 21 | – | 38 | -0.7 | – | – |
| Darrel Akerfelds | 25 | pre-arb | 16 | -0.8 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Rich Yett | 24 | pre-arb | 37 | -0.9 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
| Andre Thornton | 37 | FA-elig | 36 | -1.1 | 1.1 | -1.4 |
44 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 30 of them (68%). 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 |