It has been estimated in recent years that one win above replacement level (WAR) costs a team $8 million on the free agent market. An everyday player should cost about two WAR, which means that a solid regular will typically cost somewhere around $16 million annually. Yankees players like Brian McCann, Brett Gardner, and Chase Headley are right in that ballpark.
One guy who has dramatically out-performed his annual salary in recent years is utilityman Steve Pearce. This 33-year-old impending free agent has had to settle for modest one year deals each of the last three offseasons despite being one of the more dangerous sluggers in the American League East during two of his last three campaigns.