Pirates' Paul Skenes Gets Record-Breaking Bonus
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Pittsburgh Pirates superstar starting pitcher Paul Skenes has landed a record $3,436,343 from this year's pre-arbitration bonus pool. Combined with his earnings from last year's bonus from the same pool, he has earned $5,588,400.
The current MLB collective bargaining agreement includes a $50 million allotment for players who began this season with fewer than three years of service time. The pre-arbitration bonus pool is divided into two categories: $38.75 million reserved for players with exceptional statistical achievements in the season (measured by "Joint WAR") and $11.25 million set aside for players who performed well in awards voting.
Top Earner in This Initiative
Skenes, who led the league in ERA for 2025 (1.97 in 32 games) and won the NL CY Young Award (netting him an additional $2.5 million toward this bonus), was the top earner from the initiative this year. Last year, Skenes' placement in the Cy Young voting (third) landed him an extra $1.5 million in bonus pool money.
Right behind Skenes in pre-arbitration bonus pool earnings this year were Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez with $2,678,437, Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown at $2,206,538 and Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo with $1,540,676.
A July estimate from Bleacher Report projected that Skenes would earn $961,256 from the bonus pool, a number he has clearly obliterated.
Skenes' Future in MLB
Skenes finds himself among the best pitchers in the league at the moment, playing for one of the worst ball clubs in the league. Despite rumors that he would like to move on from the Pirates to play for a contender, Skenes (who is under team control until 2029) has publicly insisted that he wants to stay in Pittsburgh and win with the Pirates.
The goal is all well and good, but in the first two years of Skenes, the Pirates have failed to spend the money necessary to build a quality team around him. Skenes earned $875,000 from the Pirates organization in 2025, of their staggeringly low $84,423,338 total payroll.
This offseason, the Pirates may actually spend big money, and while some fans are hesitant to believe the hype, commentators insist there is good reason to be optimistic. The 2026 offseason will bring about a new collective bargaining agreement, and the Pirates' organization may want to show that they are willing to invest in payroll before that process begins.
With four more years of Skenes ahead of them, it behooves the Pirates to take advantage of the cards they already have. If they can put some offensive power behind him, Skenes stated objective of winning with the Pirates could come true. If they can't, they're likely to lose him to a bigger fish.
-4431d2aa5cde5e25ad8e226a03890ec7.png "Erin Shapland")
Erin covers the Pittsburgh Pirates for On SI, reporting on all aspects of a franchise searching for lasting success. A fan of all storylines, who's looking to bring the latest news and updates to one of professional sports' greatest fanbases.