Paul Skenes Sets Pre-Arbitration Bonus Record
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has set a new record by receiving $3,436,343 from this year’s pre-arbitration bonus pool. This amount raises his two-year total to $5,588,400, under the initiative that seeks to direct more funds to the most outstanding young players. Skenes, a 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, had a salary of $875,000 in the Major Leagues, added to the $564,946 he earned last year. He will not be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2026 season.The previous record was held by Bobby Witt Jr., shortstop for the Kansas City Royals, with $3,077,595 for the 2024 season. This annual bonus pool of $50 million was agreed upon by MLB and the players’ union in March 2022.
Cristopher Sanchez, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, ranked second this year with $2,678,437, after earning a bonus of $576,282 in 2024. Below are Hunter Brown (Houston Astros) with $2,206,538, Bryan Woo (Seattle Mariners) with $1,540,676, and Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks) with $1,341,674, according to data collected by Major League Baseball and the players’ association. Other players who surpassed one million dollars in bonuses include Nick Kurtz (Athletics) with $1,297,017, Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs) with $1,206,207, Drake Baldwin (Athletics) with $1,175,583, Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers) with $1,155,884, and Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) with $1,068,739. Milwaukee became the first team with 10 players earning bonuses in a year. The Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins tied for second with six players each. Brewers players accumulated the most money, with $4,742,392, followed by Pittsburgh with $4,362,309 and the Athletics with $3,103,411. Several of the players who received bonuses have long-term contracts, including Carroll, Sánchez, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Brayan Bello of the Boston Red Sox, Jackson Chourio and Aaron Ashby of Milwaukee, Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians, Colt Keith of Detroit, and Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. A total of 101 players will receive payments under this plan, which aims to provide more money to players who do not have enough service time to be eligible for salary arbitration, which is two years and 132 days. Eighteen players earned bonuses based on awards. An eligible player receives $2.5 million for winning the MVP or Cy Young award, $1.75 million for finishing second in the voting, $1.5 million for finishing third, $1 million for finishing fourth or fifth or being selected for the first All-MLB team, $750,000 for being Rookie of the Year, and $500,000 for finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting or being selected for the second All-MLB team. The All-MLB teams are voted on by fans, members of the media, broadcasters, former players, and officials. A player is eligible to receive the bonus for an achievement per year, earning only the highest amount. The remaining money is allocated using a WAR formula. Daylen Lile, outfielder for the Washington Nationals, received the smallest bonus of $150,000, despite not being among the top 100 by WAR, finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
