As part of the 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA), a pre-arbitration bonus pool was established for players who do not achieve Super Two status and have fewer than three years of Major League service time.
Of the $50 million in bonuses, $8.75 million is allocated to award placements and the remaining $41.25 million gets split among eligible players who finish within the top 100 in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
A total of 101 players received bonuses this year, which are accrued through the “Joint WAR” metric and placement in end-of-the-year awards voting.
According to the Associated Press, Bobby Miller and James Outman were the only Los Angeles Dodgers players who earned bonuses through the pre-arbitration pool program:
James Outman: $580,948
Bobby Miller: $406,035
Outman hit .248/.353/.437 with 16 doubles, three triples, 23 home runs, 70 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 151 games as the Dodgers’ primary center fielder this past season.
Outman had an average WAR of 3.85, which ranked 18th among the group of pre-arbitration eligible players. The $580,984 in bonuses represents more than 80% of the $722,500 salary he earned during the 2023 season.
Miller made his MLB debut this past May and wound up becoming a key contributor in the Dodgers starting rotation. He went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 3.51 FIP and 1.10 WHIP in 124.1 innings across 22 starts, and also took the mound in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Miller had an average WAR of 2.45, and his $406,035 in bonuses represents more than 79% of the $510,968 salary he earned in the Majors this year.
Last year, the Dodgers saw Will Smith, Tony Gonsolin, Evan Phillips, Gavin Lux and Trayce Thompson receive bonuses as part of the pre-arbitration program.
Julio Rodríguez earned highest pre-arbitration bonus
Julio Rodríguez topped all eligible players with $1,865,349 in bonuses. Corbin Carroll, Adley Rutschman, Spencer Strider, Justin Steele, Kyle Bradish, Félix Bautista, Gunnar Henderson, Jonah Heim and Tanner Bibee were among the others who received bonuses of at least $1 million.
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