Every year, the top 100 pre-arbitration bonus players earn a share of a $50 million bonus pool. This bonus pool was implemented in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, aimed to get players paid more for their contributions before becoming arbitration-eligible as either a Super Two or three years of service time. Three Diamondbacks qualified from this bonus pool as outfielder Corbin Carroll, catcher Gabriel Moreno, and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo will each get paid from this pool.
The amount is determined by how well they place in award voting along with a formula based off WAR. Players are only eligible to receive a bonus based on the highest award he's eligible for. In Corbin Carroll's case, the $1 million earned by making All-MLB First Team/fifth place finish in the National League Most Valuable Player race overrides the $750K earned for winning Rookie of the Year.
Here's the amount of money each player takes home and the average of their Baseball Reference (bWAR) and Fangraphs (fWAR) Wins Above Replacement:
- Carroll: 5.7 aWAR, $1.812M
- Moreno: 3.0 aWAR, $387K
- Perdomo: 2.55 aWAR, $358.7K
Carroll, 23, signed a $111 million extension back in March, but is still eligible to receive money from the pool since he entered the season with 0 years and 38 days of service time. His $1.812 million bonus is the largest earned by a D-back, surpassing the $1.67 million that Zac Gallen earned last season, and second only to Julio Rodriguez's $1.865 million.
Moreno, 23, established himself as one of the game's young studs at the catcher position. An above-average offensive season with a 104 OPS+ plus Gold Glove defense behind the plate makes him one of the key players in the D-backs resurgence and postseason run in 2023. He'll have two more chances to take advantage of the pool, as he's not arbitration eligible until after the 2025 season.
Perdomo, 24, was named a National League All-Star and brought stability to the shortstop position with Nick Ahmed struggling with injuries and performance the past two seasons. He played a big role in the D-backs postseason run, often starting rallies from the ninth spot in the order thanks to a .353 on-base percentage. The offense is much more potent at putting up crooked numbers when he's able to get on to start innings and turn that lineup over to the top of the order to give their best hitters opportunities to drive in runs. He'll have a chance to lock down the position in 2024, depending on how the organization feels about top prospect Jordan Lawlar's readiness to play the position everyday.
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