The Best Player on Every MLB Team Making Less Than $1 Million in 2025
The antiquated arbitration system in MLB means that some of the game's brightest young stars are also among the lowest-paid players in the sport.
The league-minimum salary for 2025 is $760,000, up from $740,000 last year. Players are generally not eligible for the escalating salary increases that arbitration brings until after logging three years of service time, so that is the salary most pre-arbitration players are earning.
The latest collective bargaining agreement did create a $50 million bonus pool that is awarded to pre-arbitration players based on performance, but that still leaves several notable players earning a fraction of what their veteran counterparts will make.
Here, we've highlighted the best player on each MLB roster earning less than $1 million during the 2025 season.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: SS Gunnar Henderson
Salary: $782,300
The Orioles have assembled an impressive homegrown core of position player talent that is still making roughly the league minimum, including 2024 All-Star Jordan Westburg ($772,700) and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Colton Cowser ($774,500). However, Henderson is the easy choice here after logging a 158 OPS+ and 9.1 WAR in his second full season in the big leagues.
Boston Red Sox: 1B Triston Casas
Salary: $774,000
Casas remains a wealth of untapped potential in the middle of the Red Sox lineup, with a 121 OPS+ and 43 home runs in 234 career games. A rib cage injury limited him to 63 games last season, but he is healthy once again and should be a staple in the middle of the Red Sox lineup before reaching arbitration for the first time next winter.
New York Yankees: SS Anthony Volpe
Salary: $879,000
The Yankees have found a long-term answer at shortstop in Volpe, who moved quickly through the minors after being selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The 23-year-old has begun his big league career with back-to-back 3-WAR seasons, and while his offensive game is still developing, his elite glove and durability give him a high production floor.
Tampa Bay Rays: SP Ryan Pepiot
Salary: $774,600
Right-hander Taj Bradley ($774,200) and third baseman Junior Caminero ($764,100) could both end up being a better answer by the end of 2025, but for now, Pepiot is the best of the low-cost bunch for the Rays. The Rays acquired the 27-year-old from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow deal, and he logged a 3.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 142 strikeouts in 130 innings last season.
Toronto Blue Jays: SP Bowden Francis
Salary: $781,500
Francis spent the first half of the 2024 season in a swingman role, bouncing between the rotation and bullpen. But by season's end, he was arguably the Blue Jays' best starter. In 13 starts and 14 relief appearances, he logged a 3.30 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 103.2 innings. The 28-year-old will not be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2026 season.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: SP Sean Burke
Salary: $760,350
The White Sox saw enough in Burke during a 19-inning audition last September and during spring training to give him the Opening Day start, and he responded with six shutout innings of three-hit ball against the Angels. Right-hander Jonathan Cannon ($769,100) represents another low-cost arm who's looking to secure a long-term rotation spot.
Cleveland Guardians: RP Cade Smith
Salary: $785,100
There are a lot of options for the Guardians, including Gavin Williams ($780,300), Luis L. Ortiz ($782,600) and Logan Allen ($777,200) in the starting rotation, Hunter Gaddis ($778,900) in the bullpen and Bo Naylor ($790,300) behind the plate. All of them would have been solid choices, but Smith gets the nod after posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 12.3 K/9 with 28 holds in 74 appearances as a rookie.
Detroit Tigers: OF Riley Greene
Salary: $812,400
An All-Star for the first time in 2024, Greene has steadily improved during his three seasons in the big leagues, delivering on the potential that made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The 24-year-old posted a 132 OPS+ with 27 doubles, 24 home runs, 74 RBI and 5.4 WAR in 137 games to help lead the Tigers to an unexpected playoff berth in 2024.
Kansas City Royals: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
Salary: $793,250
Pasquantino ranked among baseball's RBI leaders last year when he suffered a broken thumb on Aug. 29 and missed the final 27 games of the regular season. The 27-year-old still finished with 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 97 RBI while posting a 112 OPS+ in 131 games. The 2025 campaign is his final season before reaching arbitration.
Minnesota Twins: OF Matt Wallner
Salary: $770,750
In roughly one full season's worth of playing time over the last two years—151 games and 515 plate appearances—Wallner has posted a 143 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 27 home runs, 78 RBI and 4.3 WAR. The 6'4", 220-pound slugger has 30-homer potential if everything clicks. Right-hander Simeon Woods-Richardson ($768,250) also deserves a shout-out as a quality low-cost rotation option.
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: RP Mason Miller
Salary: $765,000
Armed with a high-octane fastball (100.9 mph) and a swing-and-miss slider (47.2% whiff rate), Miller has quickly developed into one of the most overpowering pitchers in baseball. In his first full season in the closer's role, he converted 28 of 31 save chances with a 2.49 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 14.4 K/9 in 55 appearances. With club control through 2029, he is an extremely valuable player.
Houston Astros: SP Hunter Brown
Salary: $807,400
Catcher Yainer Diaz ($805,600) is also a strong candidate for the Astros, but Brown's importance as the No. 2 starter in the rotation behind Framber Valdez made him the pick. The 26-year-old had a breakout season in 2024 after taking his lumps as a rookie the year before, finishing 11-9 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 179 strikeouts in 170 innings.
Los Angeles Angels: SS Zach Neto
Salary: $780,000
Neto led the Angels roster in WAR (5.1) last year while posting a 112 OPS+ with 34 doubles, 23 home runs, 77 RBI and 30 steals in his first full season in the big leagues while also providing stellar defense (11 DRS) at shortstop. The 24-year-old is currently sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery, but he is a rising star at a premium position.
Seattle Mariners: SP Bryan Woo
Salary: $783,300
The Mariners' foursome of homegrown starting pitchers is steadily getting more expensive with Logan Gilbert and George Kirby both reaching arbitration eligibility, but they still have two bargain starters in Woo and Bryce Miller ($800,000). After logging a 2.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 121.1 innings over 22 starts last year, Woo stands as one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. He will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2026 season.
Texas Rangers: OF Wyatt Langford
Salary: $773,500
Langford played only 47 games in the minors before making his MLB debut on Opening Day last season, less than a year after he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The University of Florida product hit .253/.325/.415 for a 112 OPS+ with 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 19 steals and 3.9 WAR as a rookie in 2024. He could be an early extension candidate in the not-too-distant future.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: SP Spencer Schwellenbach
Salary: $770,000
The No. 5 starter job was a revolving door in Atlanta last season until Schwellenbach made his MLB debut on May 29, and he ended up posting a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 123.2 innings. The 24-year-old tossed six shutout innings of one-hit ball in his first start of 2025, and he will not be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2027 season.
Miami Marlins: SS Xavier Edwards
Salary: $772,000
A first-round pick by the Padres in 2018 and a top-100 prospect during his time in the Rays system, Edwards has found a home in Miami, taking over as the team's starting shortstop after Tim Anderson was released last year. The 25-year-old hit .328/.397/.423 for a 123 OPS+ with 18 extra-base hits and 31 steals in 70 games last year. He is one of the few long-term building blocks on the Marlins roster.
New York Mets: 3B Mark Vientos
Salary: $788,750
Vientos was one of the biggest breakout hitters of the 2024 season, posting a 134 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 27 home runs, 71 RBI and 3.1 WAR in 111 games before starring in the playoffs with a .998 OPS and five home runs in 13 games. Catcher Francisco Alvarez ($795,000) is also a former top prospect turned key offensive contributor.
Philadelphia Phillies: RP Orion Kerkering
Salary: $773,000
Kerkering is one of only five players on the Phillies active roster who is making less than $1 million. Tanner Banks, Kody Clemens, Rafael Marchán and Johan Rojas are the other four. The just-turned-24-year-old Kerkering had a fantastic rookie season last year, logging a 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 with 14 holds in 64 appearances, and he will fill more of a high-leverage role in 2025.
Washington Nationals: SS CJ Abrams
Salary: $780,600
Outfielders James Wood ($764,600) and Dylan Crews ($761,800) both have a chance to be perennial All-Stars once they reach their full potential, but for now, Abrams gets the nod. The 24-year-old was an All-Star for the first time last season, posting a 111 OPS+ with 29 doubles, 20 home runs, 65 RBI and 31 steals in 138 games. His price tag will climb significantly in his first year of arbitration next winter.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong
Salary: $771,000
Crow-Armstrong is a dynamic young outfielder who just scratched the surface of his potential during a 2.3-WAR rookie season. The 23-year-old hit .237/.286/.384 for an 88 OPS+ with 29 extra-base hits and 27 steals in 123 games while playing elite defense (11 DRS, 7.7 UZR/150). His OPS jumped from .582 during the first half of the season to .736 in the second half.
Cincinnati Reds: SS Elly De La Cruz
Salary: $770,000
De La Cruz will not reach arbitration until after the 2026 season, and he is quickly developing into one of the game's most electric young stars. The 23-year-old had a 119 OPS+ with 71 extra-base hits and a MLB-leading 67 steals in a 5.2-WAR season last year, and he still has room to take another step forward if he can cut down his strikeout rate. Will the Reds try to lock him up with an early extension?
Milwaukee Brewers: 2B Brice Turang
Salary: $777,100
Turang was one of the best defensive players in all of baseball last season, posting elite defensive metrics (22 DRS, 2.1 UZR/150) while taking home NL Gold Glove and Platinum Glove honors. The 25-year-old also stole 50 bases and scored 72 runs in a 4.7-WAR season. Joey Ortiz ($776,000), Garrett Mitchell ($772,000) and Sal Frelick ($771,800) are also low-cost players in the everyday lineup.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SP Paul Skenes
Salary: $875,000
One day in the not-too-distant future—probably when he becomes a free agent for the first time after the 2029 season—Skenes might end up signing the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. For now, he is a prime example of what's wrong with the current arbitration system, as his most sought-after baseball card recently sold for more ($1.11 million) than his 2025 salary.
St. Louis Cardinals: SS Masyn Winn
Salary: $770,850
The Cardinals have more than a few young players making close to the league minimum, specifically on the position-player side of things, where Nolan Gorman ($782,900), Alec Burleson ($778,650), Jordan Walker ($770,800) and Iván Herrera ($770,300) are all significant bargains. Winn, 23, is fresh off a 4.9-WAR rookie season and provides a nice mix of defense, speed, power and contact ability at shortstop.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno
Salary: $793,000
Moreno dealt with some injury issues last season that limited him to 97 games, but he is just a year removed from winning NL Gold Glove and racking up 4.3 WAR in his age-23 campaign. The D-backs recently signed Brandon Pfaadt ($799,400) to a five-year, $45 million extension, but that does not kick in until 2026, so he remains a steal as well.
Colorado Rockies: OF Brenton Doyle
Salary: $765,000
Elite defense kept Doyle in the everyday lineup as a rookie in 2023 when he won NL Gold Glove honors, but hit just .203/.250/.343 for a 53 OPS+. The 26-year-old won another Gold Glove last season, but he also picked things up offensively, hitting .260/.317/.446 for a 103 OPS+ with 24 doubles, 23 home runs, 72 RBI and 30 steals. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Roki Sasaki
Salary: $760,000
Only six players on the Dodgers' active roster—Sasaki, Andy Pages, Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Hunter Feduccia and Landon Knack—are making less than $1 million. Despite a rocky start, Sasaki checks all the boxes to be a future ace, and while he was given a $6.5 million bonus to join the Dodgers, he is making the league minimum for his salary.
San Diego Padres: OF Jackson Merrill
Salary: $809,500
Merrill inked a nine-year, $135 million extension at the beginning of April, and while that new deal will boost his salary to $2.1 million next year, he is still making just a bit over the league minimum in 2025. The 21-year-old had a 127 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 24 home runs, 90 RBI and 16 steals in a 4.4-WAR rookie season last year, finishing runner-up to Paul Skenes in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.
San Francisco Giants: C Patrick Bailey
Salary: $780,000
Bailey is the best defensive catcher in baseball. He won his first Gold Glove in 2024 after tallying 20 DRS, throwing out 27.1 percent of base stealers and grading as the best pitch-framer in the sport. Anything he provides offensively is icing on the cake. He is that good behind the plate.
