The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball in the 2025 season with a negative record of 17-33, which has them sunk to the bottom of the Central division, with little chance of getting up.
If it weren’t for the Colorado Rockies and their 8-40 record, the Pirates would have no competition among the worst in the National League, and the best they have is their star pitcher and 2024 Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes, a pitcher who, given the instability of his team, has already attracted several suitors.
Although many teams are hoping to trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates before the deadline, according to a source consulted by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Pirates will look to keep him in their ranks.
“Paul Skenes is not being traded,” a source told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “No way, no how, is what I heard. While such a scenario makes some sense, superstars are not traded by anyone with one year of service, and the Pirates remain determined to build their team around Skenes.”
Skenes’ statistics contrast with results
Skenes is 0-3 in his last four starts, 3-5 overall, despite a 2.52 ERA in that span, and his 2.44 ERA this season is fifth among National League pitchers
Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, had not pitched a complete game since June 2, 2023, with Louisiana State against Tulane in an NCAA tournament regional game, and on Sunday he pitched the first complete game of his MLB career, and in the eight innings he was on the mound he allowed one run in the Pirates’ 0-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Pirates have control of Skenes for the next five years, including this season, before he can move to free agency, a situation that complicates any option of being traded, but it is not ruled out if they manage to be tempted by a good package of talent.
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