The Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace, Paul Skenes, celebrated his 23rd birthday with a trip home to Southern California recently with his girlfriend, and has Olivia ‘Livvy’ Dunne just hinted he could be set for a move to the San Diego Padres?
Personal and memorable, the LSU gymnast and prominent social media celebrity shared a carousel of affectionate images with her man as they marked his occasion and offered a rare glimpse into their relationship.
The couple travelled to San Diego, California, for the celebration, a place close to the heart of the Pitcher, who was raised in Orange County, attended El Toro High School and spent three seasons playing varsity baseball in Southern California.
Returning to his roots, he and Dunne shared breakfast at Richard Walker’s Pancake House before heading to Petco Park-home of the Padres; something the Pirates fans won’t have enjoyed seeing.
“I like it here,” Olivia posted on Instagram, perhaps a not-so-discreet message that the woman from Westwood, New Jersey, wants to relocated to live besides the Pacific.
Could Skenes be traded by the Pirates?
Speculation around Skenes’ future has been intensifying, particularly given the Pirates’ current struggles as rumors link him to the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and now the Padres too.
His team is near the bottom of the National League Central standings with a 21-36 record, performing far below the level his talent commands, and ownership has shown little willingness to build a competitive roster around its young stars.
One of MLB’s top pitching prospects, Skenes could become a valuable trade asset to Pittsburgh to allow them to bring some more talent aboard, across the board, without having to directly put more cash in.
However, despite mounting rumors, their general manager Ben Cherington has publicly dismissed the idea of a trade as, “Not a part of the conversation at all.”
If a trade were to occur, reports suggest that the Padres might offer a package built around top prospects such as shortstop Leo De Vries, catcher Ethan Salas, and left-handed pitcher Kash Mayfield.
With a 2.36 ERA across 66.2 innings this season, Skenes has also added 70 strikeouts, only 18 walks, and a 0.95 WHIP. He’s conceded a batting average of just .190. However, the team has only scored 37 runs through his 11 games as a starter.
The pitching star currently has one more year left on his deal of arbitration in 2026, before he then becomes a free agent in 2027, and he will command a massive salary – especially in this modern climate.
With the Padres splashing an estimated $146,333,991 on their active payroll throughout the 2025 MLB season ($209.2m total), could they find the extra cash to afford to pin him down to a big deal?
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