Paul Skenes was dominant on Sunday.
It didn't matter, because the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't score in a 1-0 loss to the Phillies.
And the calls that have persisted on social media basically since the start of the season have only gotten louder. Baseball fans want the Pirates to trade Skenes to a team that can more properly take advantage of his prodigious talents.
ESPN's Jeff Passan recently joined The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the very real possibility of a Skenes deal.
Jeff Passan says the Pirates' best course of action might be to trade Paul Skenes and that teams will ask about him at the trade deadline this year.
— Dom DiTommaso (@DomDiTommaso) May 14, 2025
We haven't even had him for a full season yet. pic.twitter.com/EIsIJqyLkO
A cursory glance through X on Sunday evening finds plenty of people calling for Skenes trades.
If I am Paul Skenes, I not only request but DEMAND a trade at the deadline.
— PREZ BETS (@PrezBets) May 18, 2025
Almost every outing he has is a Quality Start with no run support, and no decision, because his team is filled with washed up guys 10 years out of their prime or dudes that can't hit a ball off a tee.… pic.twitter.com/qulR6Enc4T
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Skenes truly is a once-in-a-generation pitcher.
Watch this at bat from Sunday against another former No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Harper:
Paul Skenes Incinerating Bryce Harper.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2025
99, 99, 100 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/XKFcIWsCmu
With the loss, the Pirates fell to 15-32.
Skenes is in a nightmare team situation.
Clearly, the Pirates won't want to trade the one good thing they have going for them. The rest of baseball would love to see him on a brighter stage, though.
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