Paul Skenes is one of the best players in baseball, and he’s already getting paid like it. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, which expires at the end of the 2026 season, Skenes will be collecting $3.4 million next year, and that’s all before he hits arbitration. The pay raise may have owner Bob Nutting beginning to worry about how high Skenes’ salary will go before he hits free agency.
The salary bump is due to Skenes’ Cy Young Award and overall performance in 2025, and with those accolades in mind, $3.4 million is still a discount (especially since it comes from the bonus pool rather than Pittsburgh’s pockets directly).