The Pittsburgh Pirates have found themselves in the middle of some trade rumors involving their ace, Paul Skenes. A trade is extremely unlikely, but not out of the question.
MLB insider Jon Heyman recently revealed that the Pirates are adamant about keeping Skenes and building around him. However, the reality is that it may take longer to build a contender in Pittsburgh than Skenes has left on his contract. He will be a free agent in 2030, and if he hits free agency, contenders in bigger markets will have no problem outbidding the Pirates. Additionally, the Pirates will have to have a drastic turnaround to convince him to sign an extension.
While the Pirates have insisted they will not trade Skenes, MLB insider Jim Bowden revealed that a great offer could change their mind, and that the nature of the trade deadline is unpredictable.
"Again, by all indications, the Pirates are not going to trade Skenes before this year’s deadline," wrote Bowden. "However, never say never — when it comes to baseball trades, anything can happen. And, as agonizing as it would be for Pittsburgh fans, the Pirates’ best pathway back to respectability is probably to trade him."
Skenes has four-plus years of club control, is still in the pre-arbitration part of his deal, already has an All-Star selection and was third in the National League Cy Young Award race. All of that combined means the Pirates could get a franchise-altering trade package for him.
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The rest of the league already knows how good Skenes is and can be. By prolonging a seemingly inevitable trade, the Pirates are only diminishing his trade value. He is only going to get older and lose club control. Not to mention what a potential injury could do to his trade value.
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