Relatively speaking, MLB players do not make much money during their pre-arbitration years, before they can negotiate salary increases with their teams as they approach free agency.
But the league’s collective bargaining agreement allows those pre-arb players to earn performance-based bonuses based on voting for the major Baseball Writers Association of America awards, being named to the all-MLB first or second team, and a formula based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Three of the Chicago Cubs‘ young stars were able to increase their 2025 earnings from the pre-arbitration bonus pool. According to the Associated Press, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, pitcher Cade Horton, and first baseman Michael Busch will all be awarded significant additional compensation based on their strong 2025 campaigns.
Cubs stars’ bonus pool earnings revealed
David Banks-Imagn Images
The fiery Crow-Armstrong, in the first full season of his big league career, earned a bonus of $1,206,207 — far eclipsing his season salary of $771,000. He produced the Cubs’ first 30-home run, 30-stolen base season since Sammy Sosa in 1995, and only the third in franchise history.
Crow-Armstrong also won his first Gold Glove for his elite defense in center field and finished ninth in National League MVP voting, racking up 6.0 Baseball-Reference WAR.
Horton, after making his debut in May, rode a sparkling second half to a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting. That, along with his 2.67 ERA, earned him an additional $858,806, also significantly more than his base salary of $580,215.
David Banks-Imagn Images
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft after leading the University of Oklahoma to the Men’s College World Series finals, Horton was limited to just 34 1/3 minor-league innings in 2024 due to injuries. His ERA was 4.45 after a rough July start in Minnesota, but after that, he became Chicago’s most reliable starter.
Horton was 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA after the All-Star Break, and while he did not often pitch deep into games, he was elite at run prevention, with four straight scoreless starts in late July and early August and five no-hit innings against the Atlanta Braves in early September.
Cade Horton had an August to remember 🔥
Player of the Month presented by CD Peacock. pic.twitter.com/93BNZRh38L
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 1, 2025
However, Horton’s season ended in unfortunate fashion when he was pulled after just two innings on his Sept. 23 start against the New York Mets due to what was eventually revealed as a broken rib. The injury kept him in the dugout for the Cubs’ playoff run, which ended in a five-game NL Division Series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even though he did not spend the full season on the big-league roster, Horton earns a full year of service time due to his top-two Rookie of the Year finish. He is on track to become a free agent after the 2030 season.
Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Busch had a breakout year in his age-27 season, just his second full season in the Majors. The Cubs acquired him in a January 2024 trade with the Dodgers, sending prospects Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope to Los Angeles. Busch led Chicago with 34 home runs, adding four more in eight postseason games.
He finished 16th in MVP voting and earned a bonus of $483,708 on top of his $780,500 salary for the season.
Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool EarningsPete Crow-Armstrong: $1,206,207
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