Paul Skenes gets record $3.4M from pre-arbitration bonus pool - ESPN

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes received a record $3,436,343 from this year's pre-arbitration bonus pool, raising his two-year total to $5,588,400 under the initiative to direct more money to top younger players.

A 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, Skenes had an $875,000 salary in the major leagues after earning $564,946 in pay last year. He won't be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2026 season.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had the previous high of $3,077,595 for the 2024 season. MLB and the union agreed to the $50 million annual pool in their March 2022 labor settlement.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was second this year at $2,678,437 after earning a $576,282 bonus for 2024.

He was followed by Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown at $2,206,538, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo at $1,540,676 and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll at $1,341,674, according to figures compiled by Major League Baseball and the players' association.

Also topping $1 million were Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz at $1,297,017, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong at $1,206,207, Athletics catcher Drake Baldwin at $1,175,583, Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang at $1,155,884 and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero at $1,068,739.

Milwaukee became the first team with as many as 10 players earning the bonuses in one year. The Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins tied for the second most this year with six each. Brewers players totaled the most money at $4,742,392, followed by Pittsburgh at $4,362,309 and the Athletics at $3,103,411.

Several of the players receiving bonus money have long-term contracts, a group that includes Carroll, Sánchez,