The Pittsburgh Pirates have shut down talk they’re going to trade Paul Skenes away but what does the pitcher himself and his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, make of the move in Pennsylvania?
The 22-year-old is tipped to be contending for the CY Young Award in the 2025 season, but despite all of his talent on the mount his team have been unable to put up the numbers as they languish last in the National League Central with a .340 record.
That led to talks he could head to new pastures, with the likes of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers linked for a move for the National League Rookie of the Year, but any prospective switch has been killed in the crib.
“Pirates source: Paul Skenes is not getting traded,” Jon Heyman posted to X.com, formerly Twitter. “‘No chance, no way, no how,’ is the way I heard it.
“While there’s a bit of logic to such a scenario, superstars just aren’t traded by anyone with 1 year service time and the Pirates remain determined to build around Skenes.”
It’s no surprise that the franchise views the ex-LSU Tigers’ talent as the cornerstone of the team and considering he is locked down to a contract until the 2029 offseason, they’re in no rush to move him on. However, he can enter arbitration in 2027.
That gives the front office time to build a team that can demonstrate the competitiveness that could keep the talented baseball player at the PNC Park for the long-term future.
Pirates keen to learn from the past
Skenes has currently produced a 2.44 Earned Run Average and a 0.94 Walks [with] Hitters In Position rate, showing that he has excellent command on the mound and the needed mental qualities to go with it.
He’s also struck out 62 hitters and walked 16 of them, averaging out at least one strikeout per inning. Now it’s time for the Pirates to step up their game from their 17-33 record.
For now, it seems as though the Pirates are keen to move on from their regrets when Gerrit Cole left the PNC to go to the Houston Astros in 2018 before he headed to the Yankees on a blockbuster $324m deal.
“Trading Gerrit Cole was not an easy decision. We are very appreciative for what Gerrit has done for our team and organization, especially his important role on the 2013-15 playoff teams,” Pirates general manger Neal Huntington said at the time.
At the time, the team received Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz to bolster their pitching arsenal, as well as the third baseman, Colin Moran, and the outfielder, Jason Martin.
At the moment, though, it seems as though there is little intention of little Skenes go until they can prove themselves to him. Skenes, so far, hasn’t shown any signs of frustration at the developments.
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