Paul Skenes’ time with the Pittsburgh Pirates is unknown. Despite being one of the most important stars in Major League Baseball, it seems unlikely that he will stay with the team for long and there will be many teams interested in trading for his services before the trade deadline.
The most obvious example came on Sunday, when Skenes pitched the first game of his career and in the eight innings he was on the mound allowed one run in the Pirates 0-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The boyfriend of gymnast and influencer Olivia Dunne has a negative 3-5 record in 10 starts, with a 2.44 ERA, but despite his talent, the Pirates do not help him, so he should look for a new destination as soon as possible. However, the team that wants him will have to have many players to negotiate, as according to MLB expert Jeff Passan, the club has five years of control over Skenes before he can move on to free agency.
“The Pirates, including 2025, have five years of club control before he becomes a free agent. If they think they have no chance of signing him, they should trade him. You could argue that they should trade him now, but I won’t because I think the Pirates, with some of the players that are on the rise, would have a chance to win if they signed some offensive players and signed free agents,” Jeff Passan told The Pat McAfee Show.
The Yankees’ difficulty in bringing Skenes to the Bronx
Although the New York Yankees sound like a natural destination, the move they made last season to trade Juan Soto with the San Diego Padres left them with few assets to negotiate after they sent their prospects: Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and Kyle Higashioka, although bringing the National League Rookie of the Year would be a big blow for the Bronx Bombers.
“The Yankees’ acquisition of Skenes would also revive their ‘Evil Empire’ image in the most dramatic way possible. A trade, unlikely as it may seem, would require emptying the minor league system for a generational pitcher like Skenes,” wrote Sam Bernardi in heavy.com.
The possibility of the Yankees trading Skenes is remote, as they would have to be willing to part with their prospects: Ben Rice, Jasson Dominguez or Luis Gil.
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