CLEVELAND, Ohio — Major League Baseball’s $50 million bonus pool for players not yet eligible for arbitration once again has been good to the Guardians.

Cleveland pitchers Gavin Williams, Cade Smith and Tanner Bibee collected pre-Christmas bonuses on Tuesday from the pool.

Williams received $342,481, Smith $295,820 and Bibee $217,235. Williams’ base salary for 2025 was $780,306 and Smith earned $785,100.

Bibee signed a five-year $48 million deal in spring training. He made $3 million this year, along with a $2 million signing bonus.

In the last basic agreement, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to set aside an annual $50 million bonus in order to pay money to players who didn’t have the necessary service time to be eligible for arbitration.

The big shares go to young players who either win or have good showings in MLB’s biggest awards.

Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, according to the Associated Press, won a record $3.4 million from the bonus pool this year. The right-hander won the NL Cy Young award and was named to MLB’s first team in his second full season in the big leagues.

If a player didn’t win an award or place among the top finishers in the Cy Young, MVP or Rookie of the Year voting, and was not named to MLB’s first or second team, their shares were based on a WAR formula. That’s how the Guardians’ three pitchers cashed in.

Williams had a breakout season, going 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts. He struck out 173, walked 83 and allowed 130 hits in 167 2/3 innings. The opposition hit .211 against him.

Smith went 8-5 with a 2.93 ERA in 76 appearances. He converted 16 saves in 22 games, taking over the closer’s role when Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave at the end of July because of gambling allegations. The allegations led to Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz being indicted.

For the second straight season, Smith recorded 100-plus strikeouts (104). In 2024, he struck out 103 in 75 1/3 innings, a franchise record for a rookie reliever.

Bibee went 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 31 starts. He led the team with 182 1/3 innings, striking out 162 and walking 54. The opposition hit .246 against him.

MLB’s basic salary for last season was $760,000. Most pre-arbitration players are paid right around that amount.

In 2024, Smith and Bibee earned bonuses of $577,688 and $411,884, respectively, from the bonus pool. In 2023, Bibee earned just over $1 million for his second-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year award.

All 30 big-league teams contribute to the bonus pool annually.