National League

Paul Skenes (23, Pirates)

Skenes won his first Cy Young award after a sparkling 2025 season (1.97 ERA, 217 ERA+, 7.7 WAR). The 2024 Rookie of the Year finished 3rd in last year’s Cy Young voting. As a pre-arbitration status player, Skenes receives a $2.5M bonus for this award, a payment that does not affect the Pirates’ CBT payroll (part of the pre-arbitration bonus pool), nearly tripling his $875,000 2025 salary.

Cristopher Sanchez (28, Phillies)

After a 10th-place finish in 2024, Sanchez put together a career-year in 2025 (2.50 ERA, 176 ERA+, 8 WAR) to secure a runner-up Cy Young finish this past season. The 2nd place finish escalated Sanchez’ 2029 club option to $15M, and his 2030 club option to $16M. The honor also secured the 28-year-old a $1.75M bonus via the pre-arbitration bonus pool.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27, Dodgers)

The World Series hero posted career numbers in 2025 (2.49 ERA, 167 ERA+, 4.9 WAR), and is under contract for another 10 years, $260M through 2035. Early Termination opt-outs are available after the 2029, and 2031 seasons.

 

American League

Tarik Skubal (28, Tigers)

It’s back-to-back Cy Youngs for arguably the best pitcher in baseball, setting up a fascinating, rumor-filled final year of team control for Skubal and the Tigers. Skubal earned $10.15M in 2025, where he posted a career-best 2.21 ERA, 187 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. The 28-year-old projects toward a $22.5M salary for 2026, an 8 year, $300M extension overall, and is the most notable trade candidate heading toward the winter months.

Garrett Crochet (26, Red Sox)

Crochet’s 4th-straight solid season culminated with a career-best performance in 2025 (2.59 ERA, 159 ERA+, 6.3 WAR). The 26-year-old signed a 6 year, $170M extension with Boston at the start of the 2025 season, keeping him under contract through 2031 (though an opt-out is available after 2030).

Hunter Brown (27, Astros)

Brown’s career-year (2.43 ERA, 172 ERA+, 6.1 WAR) secured him a 3rd-place finish, awarding him a $1.5M bonus from the pre-arbitration pool. The 27-year-old, who played 2025 at $870,000, projects toward a $5.5M salary in his first year of arbitration.