The fabled dance of the CBA negotiation found its way to MLS in earnest this offseason. The players are entrenching themselves along battle lines drawn up by previous players’ unions in other American sports – free agency, higher wages, more freedom. Meanwhile, the league continues to flaunt its lack of revenue as a bargaining chip. “How can we afford to raise the minimum wage when we aren’t making money?” the league intones with out-turned pockets. The waltz continues.

So salaries matter. Based on the most updated salary figures we have (released in Sept. 2014), I’ve put together a list of the most overvalued and undervalued players from each MLS team based on total guaranteed compensation in 2014. As you’ll see, these figures are in constant flux, but the league’s measured salary dumps make across-the-board analysis a bit easier. I’m omitting NYCFC and Orlando City for obvious reasons.

Note that I’ll only be including players currently on these rosters, not necessarily jettisoned players who were on the books for most of 2014. And we can update this as more updated figures become available (MLS doesn’t release them on a per-deal basis). So let’s have at it, shall we?

Chicago Fire

Best

Harry Shipp ($95,000): The base floor of Shipp’s contract is $70K, which is a fantastic bit of business for a player of his quality. This is bound to fly up as Shipp renegotiates his contract with a near-ROY campaign crowning his CV, but for now the Fire can be happy with one of the buys of the year. Shipp’s quality only figures to increase, but his price tag for now makes him one of the best pickups of 2014.

Worst

Patrick Nyarko ($284,500): There may have been a time when the speedy Ghanian was worth this wad of cash, but it’s long passed. Nyarko only played 17 matches in 2014 due to injury, and a torn ACL and sprained MCL he suffered in October will keep him sidelined until at least April. When he comes back, will he be the same player, or even further diminished? This albatross of a contract certainly won’t reflect it.

Columbus Crew

Best

Wil Trapp ($152,000): Especially in MLS, 150K isn’t cheap. Anything under the DP threshold deserves scrutiny, and for a league with so many comparatively low-paying salaries, there isn’t anything easy about dolling out this kind of cash. But Trapp, arguably the league’s brightest young defensive midfielder, is worth so much more than his guaranteed salary in 2014 allowed. On the European market, a player of Trapp’s age and quality would command many times this number.

Worst

Emanuel Pogatetz ($372,500): Generally, you don’t bring in a 32-year old former Austrian international defender for upwards of $400K to sit on the bench. It isn’t like Pogatetz is getting any better, and his age demands he play sooner rather than later. But Pogatetz, who was supposed to be Gio Gonzalez’s immediate replacement, was kept on the bench by Tyson Wahl, which, yeah. Pogatetz just turned 33, and he’ll enter 2015 with 53 first team minutes and zero starts in the last nine months.

Colorado Rapids

Best

Dillon Serna ($65,000): Is there an appreciable gap between Serna’s quality and that of Dillon Powers? The two Dillons play different positions in the midfield, but there’s an argument that Serna’s displayed the same level of quality since he signed, if not more. Powers makes twice as much as Serna, whose position on the left flank makes him even more rare and valuable. One of the league’s future stars is young, so this salary makes a kind of sense, but he’s worth far more than this.

Worst

Drew Moor ($235,000): Is there a reason Moor is making north of 200K aside from the fact that he’s been around the league for an expansive amount of time? Moor isn’t a bad player, per se, but his quality is commensurate with players who make a fraction of his salary. There’s something to be said for being a locker room presence and having experience to lend, but in a league that pinches salary pennies to a certain degree, it’s hard to imagine Moor’s price equals his value.

FC Dallas

Best

Tesho Akindele ($48,000): How can the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year not own the most value-conscious contract in the league? Akindele had an unreal second half of 2014, and he provided the propellant for an FCD attack that pushed the team to the doorstep of a playoff upset of the Sounders in Seattle. Matt Hedges’ contract ($120K) is similarly spendthrift considering ability, but Akindele is name brand on sale.

Worst

David Texeira ($338,000): When FCD offloaded George John’s 300K contract this offseason, it got rid of the only real albatross on its line. FCD doesn’t have any truly horrible deals on its books right now, so this is more of a reach than some others. Texeira is relatively young, so you’re trading on that value, and he had four goals in limited time last year. So this isn’t a terrible deal. It’s just a lot of money for a team that also has Akindele and Perez.

D.C. United

Best

Bill Hamid ($114,750): In reality, Hamid’s story as a professional goalkeeper is only just getting started. He’s only 24, after all. But in a lot of ways he’s already a walking billboard for MLS’s goal. He’s had more first team minutes than any Homegrown in history, is an MLS keeper of the year and is getting spot duty first team minutes at the national level. All for under $115K? Bargain.

Worst

Eddie Johnson ($613,333): It isn’t necessarily that Johnson is a bad player, per se, but this contract is highway robbery. Johnson’s constant personality clashes with front offices and locker rooms being what they are, it’s hard to justify this kind of money for anyone who isn’t a year-in, year-out MVP frontrunner. Johnson scores, sure, but if you take the league’s salary scale into account, he’d have to average somewhere between 15-20 goals per season to make this make any kind of sense.

Houston Dynamo

Best

Will Bruin ($172,500): While it’s true that Bruin doesn’t exactly come cheap, he’s hardly overvalued at his current market price. Perhaps it’s his lack of flourish that leads to a lower price tag, but he scored 35 goals in his first four years in MLS. Not many in the league’s history can match that level of output. Especially when you stack that up against some players earning twice his wage, the Dynamo are making out like bandits in this arrangement.

Worst

DaMarcus Beasley ($779,166): National team stalwarts are on a kind of separate sliding salary scale, so when Beasley went for under a million there was a kind of resigned understanding. But Beasley, who’s lost a few steps at the age of 32, made out incredibly well in this deal. While it’s true he’s at a position of need at left back, he’s also traded well on ability that, while worthwhile, is hardly worth three quarters of a million dollars.

Sporting KC

Best

Dom Dwyer ($92,500): Let’s get this out of the way first: Dwyer signed a contract extension in December that presumably made him a fair bit richer. We won’t know how much until MLS has its next salary dump. It was fitting, though, after he set a single-season club record with 22 goals in 2014. The fact though that SKC had a talent like Dwyer’s on a sub-$100K contract during a year in which he was vying for a league MVP reveals a keen eye for talent.

Worst

Paulo Nagamura ($220,000): With the overpaid Aurellien Collin and Claudio Bieler off the books for 2015, SKC shed two of its worst contracts. Nagamura’s is next on the block. There are worse contracts than this in MLS, but $220K is a steep price to pay for a player who hasn’t hit 2,000 minutes in a season in six years. Further, Nagamura is eminently replaceable. He’s a fine fit on the field in SKC’s unique system, but his fit in the ledger is a different story.

LA Galaxy

Best

Jaime Penedo ($158,562): Considering the going rate for high end international keepers, the Galaxy absolutely stole Penedo at this price. Sure, he’s far from cheap at a position for which most MLS teams don’t exactly have a pressing need. But Penedo is a spectacular keeper with a lot of life left in his 33-year-old legs. To nab a netminder at this price who’ll be competing for MLS keeper of the year awards for the next 4-5 years is a nice bit of business.

Worst

Omar Gonzalez ($1.2 million): I’ll probably get some stick for this one, and that’s OK. These aren’t objective measures. But Gonzalez is hardly the league’s best center back, despite the fact that he’s paid like it. His staggering price tag accompanied a DP tag, so the Galaxy aren’t exactly killing their cap to fit in Omar. So from that aspect, this could be $400K and it’d have the same impact. But somebody’s footing a bill that’s far larger than it should be.

Montreal Impact

Best

Eric Miller ($68,500): The Impact have so few contracts that make sense that Miller’s looks strangely frugal. He’s the only real “buy” on the list, considering his age, first team ability and position. As a fullback able to play some center back in a pinch, he’s pliable in the right places. And good on Montreal for offering a rookie like Miller a pretty decent salary considering he’s a defender. But there should be better buys than this.

Worst

Adrian Lopez ($291,250): With Troy Perkins and Matteo Ferrari’s ridiculous salaries cleared off the ledger, you’d expect there to be slim pickings in this category. Alas. Piscu signed for nearly $300K in 2013 after 11 grand appearances for Wigan in 2 1/2 seasons (!), and he’s torn his ACL twice as a member of the Impact already. Given that he’s played a grand total of 44 first team minutes since joining in 2013, this is crazy money.

New England Revolution

Best

Scott Caldwell ($59,813): This is madness. Caldwell’s slowly turning into one of the league’s most reliable holding midfielders, and with 37 starts in his first two seasons in the league, he has a pretty high ceiling as well. Comparable midfielders make twice this salary figure in MLS. While it’s true Jermaine Jones’ arrival made Caldwell slightly more redundant, he’d be a starter on most MLS teams.

Worst

Teal Bunbury ($233,000): Consider this for a moment: Teal Bunbury makes $40K more per year than Lee Nguyen. Can I drop the mic there and walk away? No? Bunbury is a solid player who presumably has room to grow, but this salary seems to line up more with what New England wants him to be rather than what he is. It’s not a terrible fleecing, but yeah. Lee Nguyen.

New York Red Bulls

Best

Dax McCarty ($242,500): It isn’t that McCarty’s making peanuts. He’s one of the better paid holding midfielders in the league. But I think the argument for McCarty, who’s still only 27, to be a DP is pretty strong. There are times when he looks every bit as good as the upper tier of Juninho and Ozzie Alonso and Michael Bradley, all of whom make at least $100K more per year. Whether or not his style makes him less of a flashy target, McCarty is underpaid.

Worst

Roy Miller ($200,000): I just don’t see it. There’s value in fullbacks in this league, but this is a lot of money to pay a player who’s worth is being weighed against a weak position. That, I think, over-inflates his value. There’s no reason to pay out the nose for a position whose sliding scale makes Miller among the highest paid in the league. That doesn’t add up for value added.

Philadelphia Union

Best

Raymon Gaddis ($52,313): Gaddis falls under the same category as Dwyer, since he also cashed in on a big 2014 late last year. We won’t know the extent of the damage until later this season. But I’m giving Philly props for finding Gaddis at this price and recognizing his defensive value enough to make him a cornerstone. It’s almost criminal a player of his value at a position of such universal need was this cheap for this long, but c’est la vie.

Worst

Maurice Edu ($650,000): Credit Edu. He cashed in on his return to MLS while his stock was still relatively high. Unfortunately for Philly, Edu isn’t the player he was during his first MLS stint, and the Union are stuck with his bloated price tag. Roll this one around the dome: for the price of Edu you could have 2 1/2 Dax McCarty’s.

Portland Timbers

Best

Darlington Nagbe ($260,000): We have to contend with Nagbe’s 2014 here first, which was puzzling for a couple reasons. But at this price tag I’d take Nagbe as one of the league’s best values every. Freaking. Time. He’s a DP talent playing below the DP threshold, so as far as I’m concerned Portland is basically stealing $100K off its cap on this deal. Nagbe’s skill set is irreplaceable in MLS, and say what you will about his consistency, he’s still operating at a DP level more often than most DPs.

Worst

Liam Ridgewell ($1.2 million): Ridgewell is a fine player, and he’s already made some positive contributions to Portland’s defense (which was crap as a whole in 2014, by the way). But $1.2 million? Seriously? MLS has an issue properly scaling the pay of its defenders, since the top shelf is so clearly out of whack with the rest of the cabinet. More so than any other position, really. Ridgewell is not a million-dollar defender. Or anything close to it.

Real Salt Lake

Best

Joao Plata ($70,000): Plata’s salary situation is more confusing than the U.S. tax code. His rights were owned by multiple parties until RSL bought those out in December in an effort to sign him to a more lucrative five-year deal. And holy mother does he deserve it. At this price, I think it’s fair to say that Plata is the most undervalued player in MLS relative to his yearly salary. At 22, Plata had an absolutely insane 2014, and he only figures to get better. Pay this man his money.

Worst

Luis Gil ($315,000): I hear what you’re saying. Gil’s only 21. But that’s exactly what I’m saying too. Gil’s only 21. Last season had to be scary for RSL, considering the young gun making near DP cash had such a mediocre run-out and lost his starting spot. I hate to throw this out there, but this is a heck of a lot of cash to throw at a player who may have already hit his ceiling (21 isn’t young, developmentally, by global standards). Judging on the past season-plus, can you say he hasn’t with any certainty?

Seattle Sounders

Best

Marco Pappa ($75,000): Pappa was a hot commodity in 2014. The Fire wanted him back, and by most measures it was probably going to cost the league, wherever he landed. The Sounders shrewdly hung onto their top spot in the allocation order and in turn got Pappa at a ridiculous cut rate. In fact, some well-placed league sources predicted him to cost an incredible $300,000 per year. So, uh, about that $75K?

Worst

Leonardo Gonzalez ($150,000): The Sounders don’t have a lot of bad contracts. That happens when you’re forced to budget around a constant stream of DPs. So while Gonzalez has had his share of playing time, he’s as close to an immobile left back as there is in the league. He’s also not a great defender, so there’s that. Aside from his prowess in the air, the Sounders could find similar talent for a fraction of this cost.

San Jose Earthquakes

Best

Tommy Thompson ($145,000): I’m sure a few people were surprised (pleasantly, I hope) when they saw Thompson’s salary figure. The rookie Homegrown found himself on the higher end of the HG scale, but it was for good reason. That’s one reason why this gets its due here. As far as ceiling is concerned, his contract will probably pay for itself a couple times over before San Jose has to renegotiate for something higher down the road. That or he jumps at Europe first.

Worst

Steven Lenhart ($257,500): This is… not good. Take apart Lenhart’s style of play for a moment (which is awful) and just focus on his production. He has five total goals in the last two seasons, one double digit goal season ever (and it was 10), and has never played more than 1,640 minutes in a season. How, how, how is Lenhart worth this price tag? His hair? Is his hair worth an extra $100K?

Toronto FC

Best

Nick Hagglund ($48,500): Steady, reliable defenders aren’t easy to find in any league, and MLS requires a level of physicality at the back that doesn’t always make for the easiest transitions. While TFC had its defensive breakdowns in 2014, Hagglund was a bright spot as a rookie, and he made himself look worthy of a deal twice his current value. His versatility only added to the allure.

Worst

Steven Caldwell ($364,166): How on Earth is Caldwell worth a DP-territory contract? He can barely move. He represents the exact opposite of Hagglund, a bloated contract from a European well past his prime. In the sense that Liam Ridgewell was given several times this amount, I guess it’s not as bad as it could’ve been, but this much money? No thanks.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Best

Kekuta Manneh ($99,500): So Manneh is about as high as you can go without hitting the $100K threshold, but that’s still a tidy piece of business for the Whitecaps. I love Manneh because he represents a more skillful side of the game the league needs. His age, talent ceiling and latent ability are all major pluses literally any league team could use. To have him at this price is a cherry on top.

Worst

Mauro Rosales ($450,000): This is an astonishing amount of money for a guy who can scarcely go a full 90 anymore. Since hitting 26 assists in his first two years in the league (an insane two-year run for the ages), Rosales has steadily succumbed to age and injury. Now, his form bears little resemblance to 2011 and he’s one of the league’s most handsomely paid players. Go figure. Too bad Omar Salgado’s $141K just came off the books.