What Paul Skenes has accomplished in such a short period of time is truly remarkable. Only a year after being drafted 1st overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes was starting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game for the National League. He finished his Rookie of the Year season with a ridiculous 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched.
He somehow got even better in 2025, turning in a 1.97 ERA with 216 strikeouts and leading the league in various pitching categories. Ultimately, Skenes won the NL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, receiving the news alongside girlfriend Olivia Dunne and his family. Yet on the same day of his major accomplishment, reports had him angling to get away from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Apparently, Skenes had an eye on joining the New York Yankees.
Paul Skenes wants nothing to do with the New York Yankees
Skenes had the opportunity to clear the air and he took it, sending a clear message to Pirates fans and Yankees fans alike: he isn’t going anywhere.
I don’t know where that [rumor] came from. The goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh. The way that fans see us outside of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh is not supposed to win. There are 29 fan bases that expect us to lose. I want to be a part of the 26 guys that change that.
Skenes is technically under team control until after the 2029 MLB season. It would behoove the Pirates to work quickly to sign him to a big contract and keep him in Pittsburgh, considering his Hall of Fame trajectory. Skenes appears dead-set on finding success with the Pirates. The team should reward him handsomely for his loyalty.
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