A total of 101 players earned bonuses for the 2025 season in the fourth year of the $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes led all players with a record $3.4 million, while the Milwaukee Brewers set a team record with 10 players.
The Detroit Tigers tied for second with six players earning bonus money.
Those six players: catcher Dillon Dingler ($549,351), outfielder Riley Greene ($378,111), first baseman Spencer Torkelson ($318,620), infielder Colt Keith ($224,454), right-hander Reese Olson ($224,416) and outfielder Wenceel Pérez ($219,286).
The $50 million bonus pool is for pre-arbitration players – those without enough MLB service time to be eligible for salary arbitration going into the 2025 season, with the cutoff set at two years and 132 days.Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY
The Associated Press on Tuesday, Nov. 25, released the full 101-player list, topped by Skenes ($3.436 million), Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez ($2.678 million), Houston Astros right-hander and Detroit native Hunter Brown ($2.026 million) and Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo ($1.540 million).
Ten players cashed in at least $1 million.
Dingler – the Tigers’ leader – was one of 27 players who earned more than $500,000 from the bonus pool.
The 27-year-old secured more than $1.3 million in the 2025 calendar year: $762,600 as a base salary and $549,351 from the bonus pool. He isn’t eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2027 season, so he has two more rounds of the bonus pool.
Here’s how the $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool works:
- Players receive $2.5 million for first place, $1.75 million for second place, $1.5 million for third place and $1 million for fourth or fifth place in MVP and Cy Young voting.
- $750,000 for first place and $500,000 for second place in Rookie of the Year voting.
- $1 million for first-team All-MLB and $500,000 for second-team All-MLB status.
After the awards, the remaining money in the bonus pool is allocated to the top 100 players using a WAR formula developed by MLB and the MLB Players Association.
The pre-arbitration bonus pool was agreed to by MLB and the MLBPA as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement – which expires Dec. 1, 2026 – in an effort to reward younger players who can’t negotiate their salaries, aside from contract extensions.
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