The Pirates’ Paul Skenes will receive a record $3,436,343 payout from Major League Baseball’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, which awards money to young players who are considered underpaid. Skenes had made almost $5.6 million in two years. His bonus this year is over $358,00 more than the previous record, held by Royals shortstop Bobby Witt, Junior.
The Brewers had the most pre-arbitration awards, to ten players. The Tigers and Marlins each had six. The Pirates had five players receive bonuses…first baseman Spencer Horwitz ($275,190), outfielder Oneil Cruz ($221,100), utilityman Jared Triolo ($216,057) and pitcher Braxton Ashcraft ($212,924).
BUCCOS A PLAYER?
Pirates team president Travis Williams said yesterday that the team has the resources to be aggressive in the free agent market this winter. Speaking at the Fifth Annual BurghProud Thanksgiving meal distribution at PNC Park, Williams said that with pitchers like Skenes and Mitch Keller joining hot prospects Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, and others, “you want to build around that.”
Williams and manager Donnie Kelly joined broadcasters Bob Walk and John Wehner and Pirates legend Steve Blass, along with the Steelers’ Keeanu Benton and Troy Fautanu, and the Penguins’ Noel Acciari and Ryan Shea, packing cars with boxes of food at the event.
MLB
The Red Sox acquired All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray from the Cardinals yesterday in exchange for pitching prospects Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts. ESPN reports Boston also will get $20 million from St. Louis to help cover Gray’s salary.
Comments