GM: Randy Smith (since 1996)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Weaver | 24 | pre-arb | 33 | 3.9 | 0.4 | +5.9 |
| Bobby Higginson | 30 | FA-elig | 147 | 3.2 | 5.3 | -0.2 |
| Steve Sparks | 36 | FA-elig | 36 | 3.1 | 0.7 | +4.4 |
| Shane Halter | 31 | arb | 136 | 2.9 | 0.4 | +4.2 |
| Robert Fick | 27 | arb | 124 | 2.2 | 0.3 | +3.3 |
| Jose Macias | 29 | pre-arb | 137 | 2.0 | 0.2 | +3.0 |
| Tony Clark | 29 | FA-elig | 126 | 1.7 | 4.5 | -1.7 |
| Damion Easley | 31 | FA-elig | 154 | 1.5 | 5.1 | -2.7 |
| Matt Anderson | 24 | arb | 62 | 1.4 | 0.4 | +1.9 |
| Chris Holt | 29 | arb | 30 | 0.8 | 1.9 | -0.5 |
| Danny Patterson | 30 | arb | 60 | 0.8 | 1.1 | +0.1 |
| Randall Simon | 26 | – | 81 | 0.5 | – | – |
| Chris Wakeland | 26 | – | 10 | 0.4 | – | – |
| Javier Cardona | 25 | pre-arb | 46 | 0.4 | 0.2 | +0.4 |
| Wendell Magee | 28 | arb | 90 | 0.3 | 0.3 | +0.2 |
| Dean Palmer | 32 | FA-elig | 57 | 0.3 | 7.5 | -7.1 |
| Brian Moehler | 29 | arb | 1 | 0.2 | 2.4 | -2.0 |
| Adam Pettyjohn | 24 | – | 16 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Mike Rivera | 24 | – | 4 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Matt Miller | 26 | – | 13 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Todd Jones↔ MIN | 33 | FA-elig | 45 | 0.1 | 2.6 | -2.5 |
| Mark Redman↔ MIN | 27 | pre-arb | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.0 |
| Jermaine Clark | 24 | pre-arb | 3 | -0.0 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
| Kevin Tolar | 30 | – | 9 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Willie Blair | 35 | – | 9 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Matt Perisho | 26 | arb | 30 | -0.1 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| Dave Borkowski | 24 | – | 15 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Jarrod Patterson | 27 | – | 13 | -0.1 | – | – |
| Luis Pineda | 26 | – | 16 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Jose Lima↔ HOU | 28 | FA-elig | 18 | -0.2 | 3.5 | -3.8 |
| Victor Santos | 24 | – | 33 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Adam Bernero | 24 | – | 5 | -0.3 | – | – |
| Brandon Inge | 24 | pre-arb | 79 | -0.4 | 0.2 | -0.8 |
| Roger Cedeno | 26 | FA-elig | 131 | -0.4 | 2.7 | -3.3 |
| Billy McMillon↔ OAK | 29 | arb | 20 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -0.9 |
| Juan Encarnacion | 25 | arb | 120 | -0.6 | 4.4 | -5.4 |
| Deivi Cruz | 28 | arb | 110 | -0.6 | 3.5 | -4.5 |
| Ryan Jackson | 29 | arb | 79 | -0.6 | 0.2 | -1.3 |
| C.J. Nitkowski↔ NYM | 28 | FA-elig | 56 | -0.7 | 1.1 | -2.2 |
| Nate Cornejo | 21 | – | 10 | -0.7 | – | – |
| Heath Murray | 28 | – | 40 | -0.8 | – | – |
| Eric Munson | 23 | – | 17 | -0.8 | – | – |
| Dave Mlicki↔ HOU | 33 | FA-elig | 15 | -0.9 | 2.3 | -3.8 |
43 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 28 of them (65%). 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 |