It shouldn't surprise anyone that Paul Skenes is among the best pitchers in baseball and one the frontrunners for the National League Cy Young Award. But it also shouldn't surprise anyone that his contributions, no matter how great, haven't done enough to turn the Pittsburgh Pirates into a postseason contender.
Heading into play on Wednesday, the Pirates sit last in the NL Central, 24.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers (the team with the best record in baseball), with a 64-81 record. They are also 12 games out of a wild card spot, meaning they are on track to miss the postseason for the 10th year in a row.
Skenes remains under club control through the 2029 season, but if the Pirates' rebuild doesn't trend in a positive direction, they may opt to deal him for multiple high-profile prospects. That's where the New York Mets come in.
Skenes trade gives Mets new ace, Pirates plenty of young talent for rebuild
Athlon Sports' Jake Elman recently proposed what it would take for the Mets to land Skenes in a trade with the Pirates.
The cost of making such a deal would be hefty for the Queens-based franchise. Elman's hypothetical trade package included second baseman Luisangel Acuña and three of the Mets' top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline — shortstop Jett Williams (No. 2, and No. 29 overall in MLB), right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat (No. 5) and first baseman Ryan Clifford (No. 8).
"Trading Skenes would essentially be the Pirates waving the white flag on at least the next two seasons. Whether or not they would have tried — or, technically, will try — to contend anyway is another conversation. Three top-10 prospects might not sound enough for Skenes, but it’s a haul that the Pirates could at least attempt to justify," Elman wrote.
"Mets fans likely love this trade pitch, but we’re not so sure that the Pirates would accept it, especially not when you remember how stubborn they’ve been thus far. Pittsburgh might want a proven contributor with several years of team control remaining, but the Mets don’t have many players who check that box," Elman continued. "Considering their aggressive history under [owner Steve] Cohen, we won’t be surprised to see Skenes pitching for the Mets at some point. We’re just not sure it’ll be next spring."
Given how productive Skenes has been early in his professional baseball career, that big of a haul may not even be enough for the two-time All-Star hurler and former No. 1 overall MLB Draft selection. He has pitched to a 21-12 record, 1.97 ERA, and 0.94 WHIP across 306 innings pitched in 52 career starts, earning 195 strikeouts to 39 walks.