Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the pre-arbitration bonus group
The Chicago Cubs’ center fielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, is set to receive the largest sum from this season’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, valued at $50 million, based on his regular season statistics.
According to WAR (Wins Above Replacement) calculations through July 8, which Major League Baseball sent to teams, players and agents in a memo on Friday, Crow-Armstrong could get $1,091,102.
Second is Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes with $961,256, followed by Washington outfielder James Wood ($863,835), Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll ($798,397), Houston pitcher Hunter Brown ($786,838), Philadelphia pitcher Cristopher Sánchez ($764,854), Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz ($717,479), Boston catcher Carlos Narváez ($703,007), Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela ($685,366), and Detroit outfielder Riley Greene ($665,470).
Crow-Armstrong, Skenes, Wood, Carroll, Brown, De La Cruz, and Greene were selected for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
A total of 100 players will receive payments, established as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, with the aim of providing more money to players without sufficient service time to be eligible for salary arbitration. The limit for 2025 was 2 years and 132 days of service in the Major Leagues.
Players who signed as foreign professionals are excluded.
Most young players have salaries slightly above this year’s Major League minimum, which is $760,000. Crow-Armstrong has a salary of $771,000 this year, Skenes $875,000, Wood $764,400, and Brown $807,400.
Carroll is in the third season of an eight-year, $111 million contract.
As part of the labor agreement, a management and union committee was established, which determined the WAR formula, used to allocate bonuses after the awards. The agreement requires the distribution of a provisional report the week before the All-Star Game.
The distribution of prizes was $9.85 million last year, down from $11.25 million in 2022 and $9.25 million in 2023.
A player earns $2.5 million for winning the MVP or Cy Young award, $1.75 million for finishing second, $1.5 million for third, $1 million for fourth or fifth, or for being part of the first All-MLB team. A player also receives $750,000 for winning the Rookie of the Year award, $500,000 for finishing second, $350,000 for third, $250,000 for fourth or $150,000 for fifth, or $500,000 for being part of the second All-MLB team.
Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. topped last year’s pre-arbitration bonus pool with $3,077,595 and Skenes was second with $2,152,057, despite not debuting in the Major Leagues until May 11. Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson was third with $2,007,178.
