Historic Achievement for Paul Skeens

Paul Skeens is in the spotlight following a remarkable season. In just his second year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skeens achieved a stellar 1.97 ERA, leading the major leagues, and effortlessly clinched the National League Cy Young Award by striking out an impressive 216 batters.

Notably, despite not being eligible for arbitration yet, he will receive a significant $3.4 million from a bonus pool established in 2022 for players in his situation. That’s quite a payout, especially since Bobby Witt Jr. previously held the record for the highest pre-arbitration bonus at $3.1 million for the upcoming season.

Skeens’ performance earned him $2.5 million solely for claiming the Cy Young title. Last year, he also snagged over $2 million for being named the unanimous Rookie of the Year, although he didn’t make his MLB debut until May 11th.

The Pirates have him signed for another ten years, which is a long time, but given the team’s history of paying less to big stars, there’s already talk about what might happen next.

He recently mentioned his connection to the New York Yankees, with a former teammate noting Skeens “hoped to be traded” before he becomes a free agent in 2029. However, he seemed to brush off that possibility.

As Skeens is on the verge of free agency at just 28, one can’t help but wonder if he might set even more records in the league. For context, the largest pitcher contract to date belongs to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a staggering $325 million deal for 12 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates’ richest contract so far has been the $106.8 million deal with Bryan Reynolds, while Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jason Kendall follow with $70 million and $60 million, respectively.