The biggest bargain on every MLB team

One of the game’s truly elite prospects, Carroll made his MLB debut late last season, hitting .260-4-14 with two stolen bases in 32 games. He’s expected to have a starting job on Opening Day and shows immediate 30/30 potential based on his minor league history. Arizona has Carroll for the league minimum for the foreseeable future.

Atlanta has made it a habit of locking up their young stars long-term, as they did in the offseason with Strider when the parties agreed to a six-year, $75 million contract. Strider is guaranteed that sum, but he will make only $1 million in each of 2023 and 2024. The right-hander emerged as an ace last season with a 2.67 ERA and 202 strikeouts over 131.2 innings.

Baltimore has a well-earned reputation for not spending much money, ranking near the bottom of the league in payroll. Their young stars are making the minimum salary help, with Mountcastle leading the way. He’s hit 55 home runs over the last two seasons, yet Mountcastle continues to draw the league minimum of around $700,000.

Boston is flush with talented young pitchers, none more intriguing than Whitlock. He served in a variety of roles last season, posting a 3.45 ERA with an elite 5.47 K/BB ratio over 78.1 innings before his season ended due to a hip injury. Whitlock is expected to get more opportunities to start this year and will be doing so for only $1.25 million after signing a four-year contract.

A former first-round pick, Hoerner had a breakout season in 2022, hitting .281-10-55 with 20 stolen bases in 135 games. He will shift over to second base following the Dansby Swanson signing, giving the Cubs one of the best defensive middle infields in baseball. Hoerner remains relatively cheap in his fifth season, making about $2.5 million this year.

The third overall pick in the 2019 draft, Vaughn continues to ascend for the White Sox. He hit .271-17-76 with a .750 OPS in 134 games last season and is set to be the team’s full-time first baseman after Jose Abreu departed. The 24-year-old still draws the league minimum salary.

The rebuilding Reds are full of relative bargains, but none more than Lodolo. The lefty was excellent in his rookie season, posting a 3.66 ERA and 11.4 K/9 in 103.1 innings. He continues to draw the league minimum salary this season.

The penny-pinching Guardians have been as good as any franchise at developing their own talent in recent years, and McKenzie is another example. He had a breakout 2022 season with a 2.96 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 191.1 innings over 31 appearances. McKenzie isn’t arbitration eligible until next year and will still draw the league minimum salary in 2023.

Tovar saw action in nine MLB games late last season and is a top candidate for NL Rookie of the Year in 2023. The shortstop hit .319-14-49 with 17 steals in only 71 games between Double- and Triple-A last season and is still only 21. He draws the league minimum salary this season.

The Tigers are in a rebuild under new baseball ops head Scott Harris while they wait out several bad contracts. Haase remains one of the team’s biggest bargains as a late bloomer who has bashed 36 home runs over the last two seasons. He’s set to be the team’s starting catcher in 2023 while making the league minimum at age 30.

The reigning World Series champions have generally been big spenders in recent years but have also done a great job with homegrown talent. Javier is a clear example, showing elite talent in his three MLB seasons. He went 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 148.2 innings last season. While Javier signed a five-year, $64 million contract recently, the budding ace will make only $3.4 million in 2023. 

Mid-market teams need young talent to compete, and the Royals have several exciting young players. Witt Jr. leads the way following a great rookie season in which he hit .254-20-80 with 30 stolen bases. The exciting youngster is set to make the league minimum again in 2023.

The Angels stars and scrubs model hasn’t worked out well in recent seasons, but some homegrown talent is helping. Detmers was the team’s top draft choice in 2020 and managed to make 25 starts at the major league level last season with a 3.77 ERA and nearly one strikeout per inning. He’s already made a sizable signing bonus in the draft, but his regular salary will be the league minimum in 2023.

The Dodgers have been synonymous with big spending recently, but their outstanding farm system has enabled some big bargains. Gonsolin is one example of their farm system production as a former ninth-round pick who has become an ace. He went 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA over 24 starts last year, his first as an All-Star. The right-hander is in the first year of a two-year contract and will make only $3.25 million this season.

Miami had a quiet offseason after several free-agent additions floundered last year. The best player on the roster is clearly defending NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, and the team has him at a bargain rate after he signed a five-year contract last year. Alcantara made $3.8 million last season, and even his raise to $6.3 million in 2023 is a tremendous value.

Milwaukee has exercised a modest payroll for most of its existence but has found success on that model in recent years by making excellent trades and signings. Contreras could be the next example, acquired from Atlanta in the offseason after hitting .278-20-45 in 97 games last season. The 2022 All-Star will make the league minimum this season and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2025.

Ryan is a rare example of a prospect the Tampa Bay Rays would probably like to have back after trading him for Nelson Cruz in 2021. On the strength of his outstanding control and deceptive fastball, Ryan had a breakout 2022 season going 13-8 with a 3.55 ERA and more than one strikeout per inning over 147 innings. The 26-year-old draws the league minimum salary in 2023.

The Mets don’t have many players who would be considered salary bargains, not that big-spending owner Steve Cohen cares very much. Peterson could be an exception after his excellent 2022 season, posting a 3.83 ERA and 10.7 K/9 over 105.2 innings in multiple roles. He could be a swingman again this season, and the former first-round pick will earn the league minimum salary.

Holmes emerged as an elite closer for the Yanks last season following Aroldis Chapman‘s struggles. He was an All-Star, finishing the year with a 2.54 ERA and 20 saves despite missing time with injury. Holmes isn’t a free agent for two more years and will make only $3.3 million this season.

Oakland has gutted its roster as the team rebuilds and figures out its torturous stadium situation. Brown is one of the only significant power hitters on the roster, hitting 45 home runs over the last two years. The 30-year-old will still earn the league minimum salary in 2023.

Philadelphia spent big in the offseason as they try to exceed last year’s World Series appearance, but bargains can still be found on the roster. Former first-round pick Alec Bohm has overcome his defensive issues to be a quality player at the hot corner, hitting .280-13-72 last season with a positive WAR. Bohm still makes the league minimum, with his first crack at arbitration next year.

Cruz is one of the reasons suffering Pirates fans have for coming to the ballpark in 2023. The 6-foot-7 shortstop has tools galore, hitting .233-17-54 with 10 stolen bases in 87 games last season. He was already a 2.3 WAR player in about a half-season of games and will make the league minimum this season.

Tatis Jr. certainly wasn’t a bargain last year, missing the entire year after a motorcycle accident and PEDs suspension. However, he hopes to make up for lost time this year after missing the start of the season to serve the suspension. Tatis Jr. was one of the top players in baseball in 2021, leading the league with 42 home runs. While he has a 14-year, $340 million contract, Tatis is scheduled to make only $7.7 million this season minus time and money missed in March and April for his suspension.

Webb has quickly emerged as San Francisco’s ace, going 15-9 with a 2.90 ERA in 192.1 innings last season. The groundball specialist will make only $4.6 million while leading a deep rotation in 2023.

Seattle’s starting rotation has become one of the league’s best over the last year, in large part due to Gilbert’s emergence. The right-hander went 13-6 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts last season, netting 185.2 innings. Gilbert won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2025 and will earn the league minimum salary this year.

Showing a sharp increase in velocity, Helsley became one of MLB’s best closers in 2022. The right-hander finished the regular season with a 1.25 ERA, 19 saves, and 94 strikeouts over 64.2 innings. Helsley will be a huge bargain if he comes anywhere close to those numbers this year, making only $2.15 million.

Tampa Bay has proven to be one of baseball’s most productive farm systems and has a long line of stars making the league minimum as a result. McClanahan is the best of the bunch, becoming the team’s ace last year by going 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 166.1 innings. The third-year pitcher will make the league minimum again this season.

The Rangers went on a spending spree during the offseason but still have their share of bargains. Garcia qualifies after back-to-back outstanding seasons while making the league minimum. He was a 3.5 WAR player last year while hitting .250-27-101 with 25 stolen bases.

Toronto’s ownership has shown a willingness to spend money, but some of their best players are earning near the league minimum. Manoah is one of them, becoming the team’s clear ace last year by going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 196.2 innings over 31 starts. The former first-round pick will earn the league minimum this season.

Washington’s roster is a far cry from the World Series squad of 2019, now full of veteran retreads and horrific contracts. Ruiz is an exception. One of the biggest pieces of return from the Dodgers for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in 2021, Ruiz produced a 1.7 WAR last season after hitting .251-7-36 in 112 games and playing quality defense. His minor league track record shows much more potential, and Ruiz earns the league minimum.