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 brings his two-year total to $5,588,400, thanks to the initiative that seeks to benefit young talents. 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 in the 2024 season. This annual fund 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. Other notable players on the bonus list include Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros ($2,206,538), Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners ($1,540,676), and Corbin Carroll, outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks ($1,341,674). Also surpassing one million dollars were Nick Kurtz, first baseman for the Athletics ($1,297,017), Pete Crow-Armstrong, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs ($1,206,207), Drake Baldwin, catcher for the Athletics ($1,175,583), Brice Turang, second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers ($1,155,884) and Junior Caminero, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays ($1,068,739). Milwaukee became the first team with 10 players receiving bonuses in a year. The Detroit Tigers and the Miami Marlins tied for second place with six players each. Brewers players accumulated the most bonus money ($4,742,392), followed by Pittsburgh ($4,362,309) and the Athletics ($3,103,411). Several of the players who received bonuses have long-term contracts, such as Carroll, Sánchez, outfielders Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela and pitcher Brayan Bello of the Boston Red Sox, outfielder Jackson Chourio and pitcher Aaron Ashby of the Brewers, pitcher Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians, infielder Colt Keith of the Detroit Tigers and outfielder Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. A total of 101 players will receive payments under this plan, designed to benefit players without the service time needed to be eligible for salary arbitration at the start of the season, which is two years and 132 days. Players signed as foreign professionals are not eligible.Eighteen players received bonus 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 the Rookie of the Year award, 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, media members, 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. Although he was not among the top 100 by WAR, he finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
