Paul Skeens is in a fantastic financial position, and he still has four years before he can enter free agency.
This season, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner received a record amount of $3,436,343 from the pre-arbitration pool, as reported.
So far in his two years in the majors, he has made $5,588,400, thanks to a program aimed at rewarding high-performing players before they head to arbitration.
Skeens, who is 23, won’t be eligible for arbitration until the end of this season.
It’s worth noting that the pre-arbitration bonus should not be confused with his annual salary, which is currently on the lower side because of the arbitration system in baseball.
During his rookie year in 2024, he earned $564,946, earning the National League Rookie of the Year title. This year, he made $875,000 after being named the National League Pitcher of the Year.
He’s among 101 players who received a pre-arbitration bonus this year. It apparently includes both an amount for winning major awards and any leftover funds from a $50 million pool, distributed according to the WAR formula.
Last year, Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. set a record by earning $3,077,595 after finishing second to Aaron Judge in the AL MVP voting.
This record might just be one of many that Skeens could achieve in the majors if he remains healthy.
The former star from LSU is looking Hall of Fame-bound, currently holding a 21-13 record with a 1.96 ERA in his initial 55 major league starts.
He’s a two-time All-Star and has consistently ranked highly in the Cy Young voting, as well as being in the top 20 for the National League MVP voting on two occasions.
While he might not surpass Shohei Ohtani’s mammoth average of $70 million per year, Skeens is likely to exceed Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s record contract of $325 million as he moves toward the 2024 season.
He reportedly expressed a desire to play for the Yankees to his teammates but later retracted that idea, saying he’s focused on helping the Pirates succeed.
For now, Skeens is enjoying his time off and escaping the Pittsburgh cold.
He and his girlfriend, Libby Dunne, recently had a delightful vacation in Hawaii, where Dunne shared a charming photo of the couple.
