Pre-Arbitration Bonuses

[Lark11]

I forgot that this existed. An interesting mechanism for transferring more money to players early in their career.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Dylan Cease has earned a $2.4 million bonus from the league's newly-established $50 million bonus pool for pre-arbitration players.
The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was signed between the league and players last March, established an annual $50 million bonus pool for the top 100 players, according to WAR metrics, with less than three years of service time. Cease finished second in AL Cy Young Award balloting snd sixth in WAR among qualified players. Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez takes home the second-highest bonus ($2.381 million) with Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah coming in third at $2.191 million. The bonuses are paid by teams before being reimbursed by the league through a central fund.

RELATED: Yordan Alvarez, Alek Manoah
SOURCE: ESPN.com
Dec 10, 2022, 11:32 AM ET

[jeremiah]

Sounds like complicated wealth redistribution. Hope everyone's happy 😏

[scottscudder]

I almost wonder if some veterans actually like the locking up of players through their first six years at pay levels well below market rates. Without this, wouldn't the young guys (e.g., Luis Castillo) be getting a lot more money at the expense of the veterans (e.g., Moustakas)?