Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has already established himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport. Along with his ascension, rumors have sparked of him joining a big market team in the near future.
The New York Yankees in particular have been linked with the most connection to Skenes, perhaps due to their large market size and yearly payroll. However, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand isn’t buying the hype, and believes that any rumor linking Skenes to the Bronx should be ignored.
“Any and all talk about Paul Skenes being traded -- specifically to the Yankees -- is just insane,” Feinsand said. “The Pirates aren't trading Skenes this offseason (I won't guarantee anything beyond that), especially as we keep hearing about them spending some money in free agency. Anything you hear about Skenes being traded to the Yankees should be disregarded -- at least for this winter.”
Skenes has lived up to the hype since being drafted first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He’s made the All-Star team in each of his first two big league campaigns, and is coming off a Cy Young Award winning season in 2025 in which he pitched to a 10-10 record with a 1.97 ERA with 216 strikeouts. In his first two seasons, Skenes holds a 21-13 record with 1.96 career ERA, quickly solidifying himself as potentially the best pitcher in the sport.
While the Yankees certainly are fine without Skenes, the idea of him coming to the Bronx will never not be fun, and until proven otherwise, those rumors will continue to swirl.
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