Why Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. just received a near-$3.1 million bonus — biggest bump in MLB
A few Kansas City Royals were rewarded for their on-field success during the 2024 season, including two who earned million-dollar-plus bonuses.
This week, Major League Baseball revealed the top pre-arbitration bonus pool earners as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.
Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. earned $3,077,595 in pre-arbitration bonuses. He received the highest payout among eligible players. The bonus included $1.75 million for finishing second in American League MVP voting.
The AP reported Witt has received $4,202,126 from the pool in its three years.
Witt was eligible despite signing a historic 14-year contract extension in February. He led the majors in batting average and hits last season. Witt also produced his second consecutive 30-30 campaign as the Royals snapped a nine-year playoff drought.
Fellow Royals Cole Ragans and Freddy Fermin also earned pre-arbitration bonuses. Ragans became a first-time All-Star last season. He earned $1,638,013 after finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.
Fermin earned $232,819 for work behind the plate. He registered a 3.0 WAR (wins above replacement) after hitting .271 with six home runs and 36 RBIs.
Major League Baseball’s process to determine the pre-arbitration bonuses includes different tiers for the pool money. For example, a player can receive $2.5 million for winning an MVP or Cy Young Award.
Players are also rewarded for winning the Rookie of the Year Award. The winner would receive $750,000 of the pre-arbitration bonus pool.
How MLB bonus pool allocation works:
MVP or Cy Young Award: $2.5 million for 1st place | $1.75 million for 2nd place | $1.5 million for 3rd place | $1 million for 4th and 5th place
Rookie of the Year Award: $750,000 for 1st place | $500,000 for 2nd place
All-MLB First Team: $1 million
All-MLB Second Team: $500,000
The MLB collective bargaining agreement allocated a $50 million pool for the pre-arbitration bonuses. After the offseason award payout, eligible players can receive a bonus based on the WAR formula.
Witt had a 9.4 WAR this season. He made his first All-Star game and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger this offseason. Ragans had a 4.9 WAR and returns atop the Royals starting rotation alongside teammates Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.
This story was originally published December 14, 2024 at 5:24 PM.
