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 an initiative that seeks to inject more money into outstanding young talents. Skenes, a 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, had a salary of $875,000 in the Major Leagues after earning $564,946 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 obtaining a bonus of $576,282 in 2024. Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros followed with $2,206,538, Bryan Woo of the Seattle Mariners with $1,540,676, and Corbin Carroll, outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with $1,341,674, according to data compiled by Major League Baseball and the players’ association. Also surpassing one million dollars were Nick Kurtz, first baseman for the Athletics, with $1,297,017; Pete Crow-Armstrong, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, with $1,206,207; Drake Baldwin, catcher for the Athletics, with $1,175,583; Brice Turang, second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, with $1,155,884; and Junior Caminero, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, with $1,068,739. Milwaukee became the first team with 10 players earning these bonuses in a 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 players who received bonuses have long-term contracts, including 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 Milwaukee Brewers, pitcher Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians, infielder Colt Keith of Detroit, and outfielder Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. In total, 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 was two years and 132 days. Players signed as foreign professionals are not eligible.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 third place, $1 million for fourth, fifth place or for being selected to the first All-MLB team, $750,000 for Rookie of the Year, $500,000 for second place in the Rookie of the Year voting or to 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, although he was not among the top 100 by WAR, he finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
