Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes will receive a record $3,436,343 from this year's pre-arbitration bonus pool, raising his two-year total to $5,588,400 under the initiative to direct more money to top younger players.

A 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, Skenes was a unanimous winner of this year's NL Cy Young Award after leading the major leagues with a 1.97 ERA and striking out 216 batters in 187 1/3 innings. He had an $875,000 salary in the major leagues after earning $564,946 in pay last year. He won't be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2026 season.

Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had the previous high of $3,077,595 for the 2024 season. MLB and the union agreed to the $50 million annual pool in their March 2022 labor settlement.

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