GM: Bill Lajoie (since 1984)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Trammell | 30 | FA-elig | 128 | 5.3 | 1.0 | +0.7 |
| Jack Morris | 33 | FA-elig | 34 | 4.0 | 2.0 | -0.7 |
| Lou Whitaker | 31 | FA-elig | 115 | 3.5 | 1.0 | +0.1 |
| Matt Nokes | 24 | arb | 122 | 2.8 | 0.2 | +0.7 |
| Doyle Alexander | 37 | FA-elig | 34 | 2.6 | 0.5 | +0.3 |
| Chet Lemon | 33 | FA-elig | 144 | 2.5 | 0.8 | -0.0 |
| Luis Salazar | 32 | FA-elig | 130 | 2.1 | 0.1 | +0.5 |
| Frank Tanana | 34 | FA-elig | 32 | 2.1 | 1.1 | -0.5 |
| Jeff Robinson | 26 | pre-arb | 24 | 1.6 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| Pat Sheridan | 30 | FA-elig | 127 | 1.6 | 0.3 | +0.1 |
| Walt Terrell | 30 | FA-elig | 29 | 1.5 | 0.7 | -0.2 |
| Dave Bergman | 35 | FA-elig | 116 | 1.4 | 0.4 | +0.1 |
| Mike Henneman | 26 | pre-arb | 65 | 1.3 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Dwayne Murphy | 33 | FA-elig | 49 | 1.3 | 0.4 | +0.0 |
| Darrell Evans | 41 | FA-elig | 144 | 1.1 | 0.9 | -0.5 |
| Gary Pettis | 30 | FA-elig | 129 | 1.0 | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Tom Brookens | 34 | FA-elig | 136 | 1.0 | 0.3 | -0.0 |
| Mike Heath | 33 | FA-elig | 86 | 0.8 | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Torey Lovullo | 22 | – | 12 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Paul Gibson | 28 | pre-arb | 40 | 0.5 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Eric King | 24 | pre-arb | 23 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Fred Lynn↔ BAL | 36 | FA-elig | 27 | 0.4 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
| Ted Power↔ KCR | 33 | FA-elig | 4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Don Heinkel | 28 | pre-arb | 21 | 0.2 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Mark Huismann | 30 | – | 5 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Willie Hernandez | 33 | FA-elig | 63 | 0.1 | 1.2 | -1.2 |
| Billy Bean | 24 | – | 10 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Billy Beane | 26 | – | 6 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Mike Trujillo | 28 | – | 6 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Steve Searcy | 24 | pre-arb | 2 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Scott Lusader | 23 | – | 16 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Ivan De Jesus Sr. | 35 | – | 7 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Larry Herndon | 34 | FA-elig | 76 | -0.4 | 0.4 | -0.5 |
| Jim Walewander | 26 | – | 88 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Jim Morrison↔ ATL | 35 | FA-elig | 24 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Ray Knight | 35 | FA-elig | 105 | -0.9 | 0.5 | -0.8 |
36 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 28 of them (78%). 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 DET |
|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer | 2009 | 22.2 |
| Carlos Guillén | 2004 | 18.3 |
| Ian Kinsler | 2013 | 16.3 |
| Jeremy Bonderman | 2002 | 15.8 |
| Damion Easley | 1996 | 15.4 |
| Austin Jackson | 2009 | 14.8 |
| Mickey Tettleton | 1991 | 14.4 |
| Chet Lemon | 1981 | 14.2 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| John Smoltz | 1987 | 81.6 |
| Luis Gonzalez | 1998 | 33.8 |
| Chris Hoiles | 1988 | 24.8 |
| Howard Johnson | 1984 | 22.8 |
| Justin Verlander | 2017 | 19.7 |
| Rick Porcello | 2014 | 13.1 |
| Robbie Ray | 2014 | 11.8 |
| Matt Joyce | 2008 | 10.7 |