GM: Dal Maxvill (since 1986)
| Player | Age | Service | G | fWAR | Salary $M | Surplus $M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozzie Smith | 32 | FA-elig | 158 | 6.3 | 1.9 | -0.1 |
| Jack Clark | 31 | FA-elig | 131 | 5.7 | 1.3 | +0.3 |
| Bob Forsch | 37 | FA-elig | 34 | 3.7 | 0.8 | +0.3 |
| Joe Magrane | 22 | pre-arb | 28 | 3.1 | 0.1 | +0.8 |
| Terry Pendleton | 26 | arb | 159 | 2.7 | 0.2 | +0.6 |
| Greg Mathews | 25 | pre-arb | 32 | 2.7 | 0.1 | +0.7 |
| Vince Coleman | 25 | pre-arb | 151 | 2.4 | 0.2 | +0.5 |
| Danny Cox | 27 | arb | 32 | 2.0 | 0.6 | -0.0 |
| Todd Worrell | 27 | pre-arb | 75 | 1.8 | 0.2 | +0.3 |
| Curt Ford | 26 | pre-arb | 89 | 1.6 | 0.1 | +0.4 |
| José Oquendo | 23 | arb | 116 | 1.4 | 0.1 | +0.3 |
| Ken Dayley | 28 | arb | 53 | 1.3 | 0.3 | +0.0 |
| Willie McGee | 28 | arb | 153 | 1.1 | 0.8 | -0.5 |
| John Tudor | 33 | FA-elig | 17 | 1.0 | 1.1 | -0.8 |
| Lee Tunnell | 26 | arb | 33 | 0.8 | 0.1 | +0.2 |
| Steve Lake | 30 | arb | 74 | 0.6 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| John Morris | 26 | pre-arb | 101 | 0.6 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| Tom Herr | 31 | FA-elig | 141 | 0.4 | 0.9 | -0.8 |
| Tim Conroy | 27 | FA-elig | 10 | 0.4 | 0.1 | +0.0 |
| Randy O'Neal↔ ATL | 26 | – | 1 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Scott Terry | 27 | – | 11 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Tom Pagnozzi | 24 | pre-arb | 27 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Tito Landrum↔ LAD | 32 | FA-elig | 30 | 0.1 | 0.0 | +0.0 |
| David Green | 26 | – | 14 | 0.1 | – | – |
| Steve Peters | 24 | pre-arb | 12 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.0 |
| Rod Booker | 28 | – | 44 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Skeeter Barnes | 30 | – | 4 | -0.0 | – | – |
| Doug DeCinces↔ ANA | 36 | FA-elig | 4 | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Pat Perry↔ CIN | 28 | pre-arb | 45 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Dan Driessen | 35 | FA-elig | 24 | -0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Jim Lindeman | 25 | pre-arb | 75 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Tom Lawless | 30 | arb | 19 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Lance Johnson | 23 | pre-arb | 33 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Dave LaPoint↔ CHW | 27 | FA-elig | 6 | -0.2 | 0.0 | -0.1 |
| Ray Soff | 28 | – | 12 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Mike Laga | 27 | – | 17 | -0.4 | – | – |
| Ricky Horton | 27 | arb | 68 | -0.5 | 0.4 | -0.6 |
| Bill Dawley | 29 | arb | 60 | -0.6 | 0.3 | -0.5 |
| Tony Peña Sr. | 30 | FA-elig | 116 | -0.8 | 1.2 | -1.4 |
39 players appeared (WAR is complete); salary & surplus are on record for 32 of them (82%). 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 STL |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Wainwright | 2003 | 52.6 |
| Ozzie Smith | 1981 | 48.0 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 2018 | 21.3 |
| Mark McGwire | 1997 | 19.7 |
| Nolan Arenado | 2021 | 18.3 |
| Édgar Rentería | 1998 | 17.4 |
| Carlos Martínez | 2013 | 16.0 |
| José Oquendo | 1985 | 15.3 |
| Player | Year traded | WAR elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Van Slyke | 1987 | 31.1 |
| Lance Johnson | 1988 | 17.3 |
| Keith Hernandez | 1983 | 16.5 |
| David Peralta | 2014 | 14.5 |
| Mike LaValliere | 1987 | 12.9 |
| Jack Wilson | 2000 | 11.0 |
| Marco Gonzales | 2017 | 10.1 |
| Coco Crisp | 2002 | 9.9 |