PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes’ most recent honor earned him not just one of the best awards, but also another award
Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award, honoring the best pitcher of the league, doing so against Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Winning the NL Cy Young Award earns Skenes a bonus of $2,500,000, the largest bonus for a pre-arbitration player.
Why Does Skenes Earn This Incentive?
The most recent collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and Players Association added a $50 million pre-arbitration bonus program or “Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool”.
Pre-arbitration is for players who began that season with less than three years of service time and aren’t eligible for Super Two status.
$38.75 million is set aside by a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) formula, honoring the players who have the best seasons, based on stats. The final $11.25 million is reserved for players winning or placing high in awards voting, such as the Cy Young, MVP, All-MLB First and Second Team, plus the Rookie of the Year Awards.
Who Funds This Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool?
The Office of the Commissioner central funds this pre-arbitration bonus pool, so individual teams don’t play the players this bonus. Pirates owner Bob Nutting, himself, is not responsible for the money and only responsible for paying Skenes his yearly contract.
Sep 17, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) talks with Pirates owner Robert Nutting (right) before the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
How Does This Impact Skenes Pay for 2025?
Skenes only made $875,000 for the 2025 season for his salary, as most pre-arbitration players earn near the MLB minimum, which was $760,000 this year.
The extra $2,500,000 is almost three times the amount he earned from his pre-arbitration salary and puts his season pay at $3,375,000.
Skenes will also get money determined by the Joint WAR, which will add onto his pay for this season.
Can Skenes Earn More Incentives for This Season?
Pre-arbitration players that qualify for more than one award get the highest incentive and not the other ones.
Skenes, who also earned All-MLB First Team honors this, doesn’t make the extra $1 million award for doing so.
He dealt with this last season as well, as he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award, $875,000 prize, was also an All-MLB First Team honoree, $1 million, but earned $1.5 million for finishing third in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
How Much Money Has Skenes Made in his MLB Career?
Skenes joined the Pirates on a $9.2 million signing bonus, a new record, after they took him first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Jul 18, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (left) is introduced at a press conference by Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington (right) before the Pirates play the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park. Skenes was the Pirates first round pick and the overall number one pick in the 2023 MLB first year player draft. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
His impressive 2024 rookie campaign netted him $2,152,057 from the pre-arbitration bonus pool, $740,000 for his base salary and then $1.5 million for the Cy Young voting, making it $4,392,057.
Skenes is currently at $3,375,000 prior to the pre-arbitration bonus pool allocation, putting him at $16,967,057 for his career earnings.