The arbitration system in Major League Baseball means that some of the game's brightest young stars are also some of the lowest-paid players in the sport.

The league-minimum salary for the 2024 season is $740,000, and with players generally not eligible for the escalating salary increases that arbitration brings until after logging three years of service time, that's 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 earn.

Ahead we've highlighted the best player on each MLB roster earning less than $1 million during the 2024 season.

American League East

Baltimore Orioles: C Adley Rutschman

Salary: $760,300

A tough pick right off the bat since Gunnar Henderson ($756,200) and Grayson Rodriguez ($748,300) are also candidates, but it's just so difficult to find a franchise catcher who is a standout both offensively and defensively that Rutschman gets the nod for now. How long before the Orioles approach him about a long-term extension?

Boston Red Sox: 1B Triston Casas

Salary: $760,000

Following a slow start to his rookie campaign, Casas was one of baseball's most productive hitters after the All-Star break last year. The 24-year-old has the potential to be a franchise cornerstone in the middle of the lineup alongside Rafael Devers for years to come. Young right-hander Brayan Bello signed an extension in March, so he is now making $1.2 million this year.

New York Yankees: SS Anthony Volpe

Salary: $810,100

Volpe joined Nomar Garciaparra (1997) and Bobby Witt Jr. (2022) as the only rookie shortstops in MLB history with a 20/20 season while also taking home Gold Glove honors last year, and he is off to a red-hot start at the plate this season. His salary is slightly higher than the league minimum after receiving a portion of the $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool that was instituted by the new CBA.

Tampa Bay Rays: SP Ryan Pepiot

Salary: $744,900

Outfielder Josh Lowe ($755,700) is also a worthy candidate, but I'm extremely high on what Pepiot can do in the hands of Tampa Bay's developmental team. The 26-year-old was acquired in the deal that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he had 11 strikeouts over six scoreless innings in his second start of the year Sunday.

Toronto Blue Jays: IF/OF Davis Schneider

Salary: $744,900

The fall of Alek Manoah leaves the Blue Jays without an obvious choice, but Schneider has flashed enough offensive potential since making his MLB debut during the second half of last season to instill confidence he can be an impact player. The 25-year-old also provides valuable versatility, making starts at second base, third base and in left field in his brief MLB career.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox: SP Garrett Crochet

Salary: $800,000

Crochet is one of the few players on this list who is arbitration-eligible, but after dealing with injuries early in his pro career, he was only able to secure an $800,000 payday in his first year of arbitration this past offseason. The hard-throwing lefty has moved into the starting rotation this season and been one of baseball's early breakout stars with a 2.00 ERA and a 21-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 innings.

Cleveland Guardians: OF Steven Kwan

Salary: $757,600

Tip of the cap to the Guardians for developing the low-cost, homegrown trio of Tanner Bibee ($745,700), Logan Allen ($744,300) and Gavin Williams ($742,100) in the starting rotation, but Kwan is the top choice. Never a top prospect during his time in the minors, he racked up 9.2 WAR over his first two seasons in the majors while winning a pair of Gold Glove Awards.

Detroit Tigers: OF Riley Greene

Salary: $766,300

Slugger Spencer Torkelson ($756,700) may have a 30-homer season on his resume, but Greene is the best all-around young player on the Detroit roster and a popular pick for a true breakout season after a strong 2023 campaign. Flame-throwing closer Jason Foley ($766,300) also deserves a mention as one of the most underrated relievers in the game.

Kansas City Royals: SP Cole Ragans

Salary: $753,750

Acquiring Ragans from the Texas Rangers in exchange for a two-month rental of Aroldis Chapman last summer has a chance to go down as one of the best trades in Royals franchise history. The young lefty has a 2.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 89 innings over 15 starts in a Royals uniform.

Minnesota Twins: SP Joe Ryan

Salary: $758,850

A healthy Royce Lewis ($745,700) might have a compelling case to be the pick for the Twins, but the oft-injured former No. 1 overall pick didn't even make it through one full game this year before hitting the injured list. That left a coin toss between Ryan who has been a rock-solid middle-of-the-rotation starter since reaching the majors and closer Jhoan Duran ($747,200) who has some of the most electric stuff in baseball.

American League West

Houston Astros: SS Jeremy Peña

Salary: $783,500

The Astros have a few worthy candidates, including catcher Yainer Diaz ($768,900) and late-bloomer Ronel Blanco ($749,800) who tossed the first no-hitter of 2024, but Peña has quickly settled in as a star at shortstop. He became the first rookie shortstop in MLB history to win a Gold Glove in 2022 before taking home ALCS and World Series MVP honors that October.

Los Angeles Angels: SP Reid Detmers

Salary: $770,000

The pick here could very easily be catcher Logan O'Hoppe ($760,000) by season's end, but for now the nod goes to Detmers who has quietly developed into a standout in the Angels starting rotation. The 24-year-old has a 4.28 ERA with 328 strikeouts in 309.1 innings since making his MLB debut during the second half of the 2021 season.

Oakland Athletics: 2B Zack Gelof

Salary: $740,000

Gelof only needed 69 games last season to finish as Oakland's leader in WAR, posting a 136 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, 32 RBI and 2.6 WAR over 300 plate appearances. The 24-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Virginia, and he will not be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2026 campaign.

Seattle Mariners: SP George Kirby

Salary: $798,600

In his first full season in the majors last year, Kirby finished 13-10 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a brilliant 172-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 190.2 innings, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing eighth in AL Cy Young voting. Slugging catcher Cal Raleigh ($795,000) and right-hander Bryce Miller ($752,600) also received serious consideration.

Texas Rangers: OF Evan Carter

Salary: $745,000

With Josh Jung ($756,000) set for a lengthy stay on the injured list after suffering a broken wrist, Carter is the pick for the Rangers. The 2023 postseason star got off to an 0-for-15 start this year, but he has hit .333/.429/.667 with four extra-base hits in 21 plate appearances over his last five games. Fellow rookie Wyatt Langford ($740,000) also deserves a mention here.

National League East

Atlanta Braves: OF Jarred Kelenic

Salary: $760,000

With much of their young core locked up with team-friendly extensions, the Braves only have five players on the current active roster making less than $1 million—Jarred Kelenic, Dylan Lee, Forrest Wall, Chadwick Tromp and Allan Winans. Over his first 10 games in a Braves uniform, Kelenic is 12-for-26 with three doubles, and he is controllable through 2028.

Miami Marlins: 3B Jake Burger

Salary: $760,000

After dealing with injuries early in his pro career, Burger broke out last season when he posted a 120 OPS+ with 34 home runs and 80 RBI in 141 games. The Marlins acquired him at the trade deadline and he hit .303/.355/.505 with 22 extra-base hits in 217 plate appearances with the team. Losing Eury Pérez ($748,000) to Tommy John surgery knocked him out of consideration.

New York Mets: C Francisco Alvarez

Salary: $762,500

Alvarez flashed significant offensive upside as a rookie, slugging 25 home runs in 123 games, and he was better than expected defensively behind the plate. The 22-year-old still has work to do refining his offensive game after hitting .209/.284/.437 for a 95 OPS+ and enduring some prolonged slumps, but he has as much raw power as any young player in baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies: 2B Bryson Stott

Salary: $768,000

The addition of Trea Turner in free agency last winter pushed Stott from shortstop to second base, and he took a huge step forward offensively while settling in at his new position on the other side of the bag. The 26-year-old hit .280/.329/.419 for a 102 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 15 home runs, 62 RBI, 31 steals and 4.3 WAR, giving the high-priced Phillies roster a low-cost star on the rise.

Washington Nationals: SS CJ Abrams

Salary: $752,400

The Nationals added Abrams from the San Diego Padres as part of the massive haul acquired in the Juan Soto deal, and he tallied 52 extra-base hits, 47 steals and 3.4 WAR in 151 games as a major bright spot last year on a 91-loss team. Left-hander MacKenzie Gore ($749,600) was also part of that blockbuster trade.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs: 3B/DH Christopher Morel

Salary: $767,000

Morel posted a 116 OPS+ with 26 home runs and 70 RBI in 107 games last season, and while his long-term defensive home is still up in the air, he has the potential to be a star at the plate even if he is limited to designated hitter. The 24-year-old is hitting .326/.370/.605 with three home runs and 10 RBI through his first 11 games this season.

Cincinnati Reds: OF Spencer Steer

Salary: $750,000

The Reds have a lot of options for this article, including Elly De La Cruz ($742,500), TJ Friedl ($750,000), Matt McLain ($742,500), Andrew Abbott ($742,500) and Christian Encarnacion-Strand ($740,000). Some of those guys may have a higher long-term ceiling than Steer, but he has been the most productive of the bunch in the majors, and he is hitting .400/.489/.775 with four doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI in 11 games.

Milwaukee Brewers: C William Contreras

Salary: $766,900

Contreras had a great first season with the Brewers last year, hitting .289/.367/.457 for a 126 OPS+ with 38 doubles, 17 home runs, 78 RBI and 3.8 WAR, finishing 11th in NL MVP voting and winning Silver Slugger honors. The 26-year-old will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next offseason, and he is off to a hot start at the plate again this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Oneil Cruz

Salary: $755,000

Healthy once again after suffering a fractured left fibula early last season, Cruz is back flashing his 30/30 upside as the everyday shortstop for the Pirates. The 25-year-old is a legitimate five-tool talent and could quickly emerge as the face of the franchise in Pittsburgh. Right-hander Jared Jones ($745,000) is one to watch as a NL Rookie of the Year dark horse.

St. Louis Cardinals: 2B Nolan Gorman

Salary: $755,500

Gorman had a 117 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 76 RBI in 119 games last season, starting to show the upside he flashed as one of the best power-hitting prospects in baseball during his time in the minors. Versatile utility man Brendan Donovan ($757,200) and former top prospect Jordan Walker ($747,450) could also end up being the team's best bargain player in 2024.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno

Salary: $760,100

Moreno hit .284/.339/.408 for a 104 OPS+ in 380 plate appearances while also taking home NL Gold Glove honors in a 4.3-WAR campaign in 2023, and he is still only 24 years old with a chance to be a franchise cornerstone in the coming years. Brandon Pfaadt ($754,400) and Alek Thomas ($769,500) are also worth a mention.

Colorado Rockies: OF Nolan Jones

Salary: $745,000

Jones was a breakout star for the Rockies last season while finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting, hitting .297/.389/.542 for a 139 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 20 home runs, 62 RBI and 20 steals. There were some regression red flags in his underlying metrics, including a .401 batting average on balls in play, but his on-base ability and power-speed tools give him a high floor. Center fielder Brenton Doyle ($742,000) is a 2024 breakout candidate.

Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Bobby Miller

Salary: $750,000

After going 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 124.1 innings as a rookie, Miller might have the brightest future of any young pitcher in the Dodgers rotation. The 25-year-old will not be eligible for arbitration for the first time until after the 2026 season, so he will be a low-cost source of innings for the next several years.

San Diego Padres: OF Jackson Merrill

Salary: $740,000

Hyped as one of the best pure hitters in the minors, Merrill is batting .300/.378/.425 over 45 plate appearances in his first 14 games in the big leagues while also learning to play center field on the fly. The 2021 first-round pick does not turn 21 years old until later this month, and he is the second-youngest player to appear in an MLB game so far this season behind only Jackson Chourio.

San Francisco Giants: C Patrick Bailey

Salary: $747,500

With elite defensive skills, Bailey made an instant impact as a rookie behind the plate for the Giants last season, and now that the organization has turned the page on Joey Bart he is the unquestioned present and future at the position. Closer Camilo Doval ($770,000) is also worthy of a mention as one of the most overpowering relievers in the game.