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Three young Nationals players have been financially rewarded for their performances this season, qualifying for Major League Baseball’s “pre-arbitration bonus pool” payments.
James Wood, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile all earned bonus checks, according to the Associated Press, which reported the dollar figures for 101 players who have fewer than three years of MLB service time and are not yet eligible for arbitration.
MLB and the MLB Players Association instituted this program in the collective bargaining agreement that covers the 2022-26 seasons as a path toward paying the sport’s best young players more than the near-league-minimum salaries they generally receive.
A total pool of $50 million, with contributions from all 30 clubs, is divvied up among the qualifying players. The top bonuses go to those who either win or finish runner-up for major awards like MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. Any money remaining in the pool then goes to the 100 pre-arbitration players who produced the highest combined WAR.
Wood received the largest bonus among the Nationals’ three qualifiers, earning $424,544 on top of his $764,600 salary. The 23-year-old outfielder made his first career All-Star team and participated in the Home Run Derby after a torrid first half to his season. He slumped after the break but still finished with 38 doubles, 31 homers, 94 RBIs, an .825 OPS and a combined 7.0 WAR between Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs’ formulas.
