Paul Skenes Sets New 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, plus 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, who received $3,077,595 in the 2024 season. This annual $50 million fund 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 having obtained 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 of the Arizona Diamondbacks ($1,341,674), according to data compiled by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
Also surpassing one million dollars were Nick Kurtz (Athletics), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs), Drake Baldwin (Athletics), Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers), and Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays).
Milwaukee became the first team with 10 players earning bonuses in a single year. The Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins tied for second place 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, such as Carroll, Sánchez, Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela (Boston Red Sox), Brayan Bello (Boston Red Sox), Jackson Chourio and Aaron Ashby (Milwaukee Brewers), Tanner Bibee (Cleveland Guardians), Colt Keith (Detroit Tigers) and Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres).
A total of 101 players will receive these payments under a plan designed to allocate more money to players who do not have enough service time 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 earned bonuses based on individual 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 third place, $1 million for fourth, 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, 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.
