Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is again projected to receive the largest amount from the $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool based on his regular-season statistics.
Crow-Armstrong is on track to receive $1,179,587 according to WAR calculations through July 6 that Major League Baseball sent to teams, players and agents in a memo obtained by The Associated Press.
He led at season's midpoint at $1,091,102 and had a final figure of $1,206,207. He earned $342,128 from the pool in 2024.
Crow-Armstrong started Friday with a .282 average, 21 homers, 55 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and .900 OPS.
Miami shortstop Otto Lopez is second at $910,239, followed Milwaukee right-hander Jacob Misiorowski ($896,407), St. Louis second baseman JJ Wetherholt ($879,874), Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler ($797,802), Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle ($786,326), Washington outfielder James Wood ($711,330), Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz ($639,780), New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler ($637,145) and Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas ($635,299).
A total of 100 players will receive the payments, established as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement and aimed to get more money to players without sufficient service time for salary arbitration eligibility. The arbitration cutoff for 2026 was 2 years, 140 days of major league service.
As part of the labor agreement, a management-union committee was established that determined the WAR formula, used to allocate the bonuses after awards. Distribution for awards was $12.75 million last year, $9.85 million in 2024, $9.25 million in 2023 and $11.25 million in 2022.
In collective bargaining for a new contract, the players' association proposed increasing the pool amount to $180 million next year followed by $15 million annual hikes.
Players who signed as foreign professionals are excluded.
While most of the players receiving money under the pool earn close to the major league minimum, a few have multiyear contracts. Crow-Armstrong has an $894,000 salary this season and in 2027 starts a $115 million, six-year deal. Eight-year deals that start in 2027 guarantee $150 million to McGonigle and $112.5 million to Wetherholt.
The union has proposed that starting next year players signed to multiyear contracts become ineligible for the program. It also asked that players ranked 101st through 125th by WAR receive a fixed $200,000 bonus.
Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes topped the bonus pool last year at $3,436,343, raising his two-year total to $5,588,400. He is projected at $402,921 this season.
Pitcher Dylan Cease led in 2022 at $2,457,426 while with the Chicago White Sox, Seattle center fielder Julio Rodríguez led in 2023 at $1,865,349 and Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. led in 2024 at $3,077,595.
A player earns $2.5 million for winning an MVP or Cy Young Award, $1.75 million for finishing second, $1.5 million for third, $1 million for fourth or fifth, or for making the all-MLB first team or winning the new Baseball Writers' Association of America Relief Pitcher of the Year. A player also gets $750,000 for winning Rookie of the Year, $500,000 for second, $350,000 for third, $250,000 for fourth or $150,000 for fifth, or $500,000 for making the all-MLB second team or finishing second in voting for the BBWAA reliever award. The reliever award bonuses also include $350,000 for finishing third and $250,000 for fourth or fifth.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
