Value deals: Players who offered best bang for buck

Finding a good deal can be a chore, even on Black Friday. It takes a lot of research, some comparison shopping, and fighting off competition who are also on the hunt for savings.

Executives in charge of constructing Major League rosters can relate.

Every season, players prove their value - some more than others - by putting together exceptional seasons that make their general managers look like geniuses after being signed to cost-effective contracts.

Here are five players who offered their teams the most value in 2015:

John Lackey, RHP

2015 salary: $507,500
2015 fWAR: 3.6

The 37-year-old workhorse became one of the St. Louis Cardinals' most valuable players as he helped them clinch their third consecutive division title, posting the lowest ERA of his career while tossing 200-plus innings for the first time since 2010. With injuries to Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, and Jaime Garcia, Lackey created an exceptional 1-2 punch with Michael Wacha to give the Cardinals a combined 30 wins. Lackey accomplished all of this while making $507,500 thanks to a clause in his contract that had him pitch at the league minimum after missing the entire 2012 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Salvador Perez, C

2015 salary: $1,750,000
2015 fWAR: 1.6

Arguably the best catcher in the American League, Perez not only showed his toughness throughout both the regular and postseason, never seeming to let the grueling grind of everyday play affect him, but he took his beatings on the cheap. The 25-year-old Venezuelan logged over 1,200 innings of work behind the dish last season, which means the Kansas City Royals were paying the World Series MVP roughly $1,500 per appearance. That's bargain-basement robbery for a backstop who contributed 21 home runs, 70 RBIs, and tossed out 44 percent of runners who attempted to steal.

Sonny Gray, RHP

2015 salary: $512,500
2015 fWAR: 3.8

Finishing behind Dallas Keuchel and David Price for the AL Cy Young while playing on the 68-94 Oakland Athletics is no small task. Gray was as consistent a starter as any, with only a few major blemishes against his record, most of which came as he tired near the season's end. He's contributed an ERA of close to three every year he's pitched for the Athletics, while giving them 200-plus innings in two consecutive seasons. The price tag on Gray's impressive season was just $5,000 more than the league minimum.

A.J. Pollock, OF

2015 salary: $519,500
2015 fWAR: 6.6

What a year for the 27-year-old outfielder. Pollock may have established himself as the game's most underrated player in 2015 after showcasing a true five-tool game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was easy on the pocket book, while quietly earning MVP consideration after posting a .315/.367/.498 hitting line with 20 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases. He posted an impressive 14 defensive runs saved en route to his first Gold Glove and All-Star appearance.

Dallas Keuchel, LHP

2015 salary: $524,500
2015 fWAR: 6.1

A Cy Young Award winner for pretty much the league minimum. Could the Houston Astros have been any luckier that the 27-year-old southpaw emerged as one of the game's best while still on a dime? Keuchel led the AL in wins (20), WHIP (1.02), and innings pitched (232), while becoming the first-ever MLB pitcher to go 15-0 at home in a season, en route to an undefeated record at Minute Maid Park in 2015. Keuchel's in line for a big payday, but Houston got the most value of anyone with its lefty ace.