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 added a 10-10 record and became the first pitcher to win the Cy Young with a record of .500 or worse.

Skenes 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.

A total of 101 players will receive the payments under a plan aimed to get more money to

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