Lorenzo Cain – Utility, $2,725,000
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Lorenzo Cain played quality baseball for the Kansas City Royals in the national spotlight last season during the club’s postseason run. He also hit .300 and stole 28 bases during the regular season, showing a nice blend of contact and speed. As nice as these numbers were, he was a vacuum in center field, with a dWAR of 2.7 that actually surpassed his oWAR of 2.1.
If it weren’t for the incomparable Trout, Cain would probably be the starting center fielder on this roster. But Trout is less than $4 million more than Cain and he won an MVP in the worst of his last three seasons, so any argument for the contrary should be moot.