Can the Guardians keep getting the most out of their money in 2025? Last season, Cleveland won the American League Central and reached the AL Championship Series with a payroll aorund $100 million. And who are the best bargains on the current roster?
BetOhio.com, your source for top Ohio sportsbook promo codes, used Fangraphs.com to gather current salary information and projected 2025 WAR (Wins Above Replacement player). We then divided the 2025 salary by projected WAR for each player to determine potential value, as expressed by dollars per projected WAR point.
Player | 2025 Salary | 2025 Projected WAR | Value (Salary Per WAR) * |
Bo Naylor (Catcher) | $800,000 | 2.8 | $285,714 |
Tanner Bibee (Pitcher) | $800,000 | 2.6 | $307,692 |
Brayan Rocchio (Shortstop) | $800,000 | 2.5 | $320,000 |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
Note: Some salaries are represented by figures before arbitration. Only players projected on the Opening Day 40-man roster were included.
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Catcher Bo Naylor is the best bargain on manager Stephen Vogt’s roster for 2025, according to our calculations. Using projected Wins Above Replacement from fangraphs.com and salary information, we calculate Naylor’s projected value for the upcoming season at $285,714 per WAR point. He’s set to earn $800,000 this season with a projected WAR of 2.8, which would be a career high.
Naylor (who turned 25 on Feb. 21) had 13 home runs and 39 RBIs in 389 plate appearances in 2024, his first full season in the majors as his team surprised many analysts and even Ohio MLB betting customers. This year he will be the lone Naylor in Cleveland because his older brother, first baseman Josh Naylor, has joined the Arizona Diamondbacks after five seasons with the Guardians.
The other two players on our list of bargains in Cleveland are also making $800,000 – that’s pitcher Tanner Bibee and shortstop Brayan Rocchio.
According to Spotrac.com, a site which tracks financial figures and player contracts, Cleveland goes into this season as one of eight teams with a projected payroll under $100 million, pegged at under $82.3 million. Compare that to the teams at the top such as the New York Mets (projected 2025 payroll $321.7 million), Los Angeles Dodgers ($292.9 million) and Philadelphia Phillies ($279.3M).
Ohio sportsbooks have reflected a feeling that perhaps last season’s success will not be repeated on the shores of Lake Erie. Cleveland has odds ranging between +275 and +300 to repeat as AL Central champions. Depending on which sportsbook you check, they’re either third or fourth on the board.
As far as winning the franchise’s first World Series championship since 1948, the moneyline on that outcome is as low as +2800 and as high as +4000 among various operators. If you have multiple accounts, it pays to shop around to get the best price for your wager.
For more insight on the Guardians, check out our story about how teams do after losing the League Championship Series, exclusively here at BetOhio.com.
USA Today photo by Joe Camporeale
Author
Ohio native Jim Tomlin has 30 years of experience in journalism, mostly in sports. He lends his expertise to BetOhio.com as a writer and editor after previous experience at the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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