Four Nationals qualify for pre-arbitration bonuses

Jacob Young, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams and Jake Irvin all performed well enough this season to earn some extra money before the holidays.

Young, Gore, Abrams and Irvin recently were revealed as part of a group of 101 players with less than three years of big league service time who qualified for Major League Baseball’s “pre-arbitration bonus pool.”

The pool was created as part of this collective bargaining agreement to reward players who have yet to reach salary arbitration but played beyond their experience levels. Anyone who finishes in the top five in voting for the MVP or Cy Young awards, first or second for Rookie of the Year or is named to the all-MLB first or second team receives a bonus ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million. Any money remaining from the $50 million total pool is divided up among other players based on a WAR formula.

None of the Nationals received votes for the aforementioned awards, but four young players did compile enough WAR to qualify for these bonuses.

Young, who ranked 56th out of the 101 pre-arbitration players, received a bonus of $333,239. That’s added to his base rookie salary of $740,000, making his total income for the season $1,073,239.

The 25-year-old outfielder actually didn’t make the Opening Day roster but was promoted from Triple-A Rochester during the season’s first week after Victor Robles went on the injured list. He wound up taking over the starting center fielder’s job on a permanent basis, named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award while batting .256 with 75 runs, 24 doubles, three homers, 36 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.

Gore, who ranked 70th on the pre-arbitration list, received a $300,017 bonus on top of his $749,600 salary, bringing his total to $1,049,617. The 25-year-old left-hander went 10-12 with a 3.90 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 166 1/3 innings, overcoming a shaky late summer stretch to finish strong and produce the lowest ERA and highest strikeout total by a qualified Nationals starter since 2019.

Abrams qualified for a pre-arbitration bonus for the second consecutive season. Ranking 95th out of the 101 players this year, he was awarded $241,402. Added to his $752,400 base salary, his total earnings for the season was $993,802.

The 24-year-old shortstop might well have been in line for an even bigger bonus had he been able to maintain his first half stats (.268/.343/.489, 21 doubles, 15 homers, 48 RBIs) following the All-Star break (.203/.260/.326, eight doubles, five homers, 17 RBIs). Even with that second half slump, Abrams still produced enough to earn this bonus.

Irvin, meanwhile, is a first time qualifier, earning a $239,663 bonus after a breakthrough season that ranked 97th on this list. His base salary was $745,600, making his grand total $985,263.

The 27-year-old right-hander rode a strong first half to finish with a 10-14 record, 4.41 ERA and 1.199 WHIP over 187 2/3 innings. His 33 starts tied for the league lead.

The top bonuses awarded this year went to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ($3,077,595), Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes ($2,152,057) and Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson ($2,007,178).