Subscribe
Follow Us
The Pittsburgh Pirates sit at 21-37 ahead of Saturday night's matchup against the San Diego Padres. Paul Skenes leads Don Kelly's rotation in his second full season in Major League Baseball. However, the Pirates and their ace face rumors surrounding a potential trade away from the team. Skenes and Pittsburgh have shot the rumors, down, but former MLB general manager Jim Bowden put together one hypothetical trade that would send him out to the Red Sox in exchange for Roman Anthony and others.
Anthony has been dominant in the minor leagues in 2025, but has not been called up yet. The Red Sox have said that they want to give Anthony more time to develop before bringing them to the major leagues. However, fans and Marcelo Mayer want Boston's top prospect to get a chance with the team as soon as possible. If he doesn't get it with the Red Sox, he might find it after the team trades him away.
Bowden suggested a package centered around Anthony if Skenes is, in fact, available. Giving up the organization's top prospect would be a tough pill to swallow. However, if they can put Skenes next to Garrett Crochet for the next five seasons, it is worth the risk.
Proposed package: OF Roman Anthony, 2B/SS Franklin Arias, 1B/OF Justin Gonzales, RHP Luis Perales
“To start the package, the Red Sox could offer Anthony, the top position-player prospect in baseball, whom the Pirates could promote to the majors immediately, giving him a chance to win NL Rookie of the Year this season,” Bowden said about the Red Sox's trade package for the All-Star. “They’d also improve their longer-term future by acquiring a middle infielder in Arias, a power bat in Gonzales and a power arm in Perales. Meanwhile, for Boston, a rotation led by Skenes and Garrett Crochet would be a game-changer.”
Why the Boston Red Sox should make the trade
The Boston Red Sox brought in Alex Bregman during the offseason to boost their offense. He joined 2024 All-Stars in Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran, forming a formidable trio at the plate. While Triston Casas and Trevor Story are some of Boston's players that have fallen short, the team's offense is within the top 10 in the league. The Red Sox are also one of the best power-hitting teams in the league.
Where the team struggles is one the mound. Alex Cora's starting rotation is extremely shaky behind Garrett Crochet. The 2025 American League Cy Young candidate has been dominant, but Brayan Bello's 3.83 ERA is the best Boston has aside from Crochet. Skenes would come in and immediately form one of the best pitching combinations in the league.
He and Crochet both have ERAs under 2.20 ahead of Saturday's games. Both are shoe-ins to earn spots on the All-Star team and could each be finalists for the Cy Young award. Both aces are 25 years old or younger with the majority of their careers ahead of them. If they are this good already, they could be unstoppable together.
Giving up Anthony and other young prospects leaves the Red Sox in a position where the players on their roster now will have to carry the team into the future. However, Bowden's package leaves them with both Kristian Campbell and Mayer still on the roster.
Article Continues Below
Red Sox Trade Grade: A
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates should make the trade
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at the bottom of the National League Central yet again. Skenes' emergence as one of the game's top starters has propelled the team into the national spotlight. However, his teammates have been underwhelming. The 23-year-old took it upon himself to say that the responsibility for the Pirates' poor start is on him and his teammates as much as it is on the organization.
Despite Skenes' mature perspective, fans blame Kelly and management for Pittsburgh's performance so far. However, the team's future appears to be more in question than anything else. There are some experts who wonder if the Pirates will open up their wallets and give Skenes the long-term contract he will ask for when the time comes.
ESPN's Jeff Passan doubts that the Pirates will choose to move Skenes rather than pay him, but some doubt remains. This deal gives them pieces to build around moving forward at the expense of their leader. This would not be the first big trade centered around a young star in professional sports this year, but the Pirates risk the same backlash as the Dallas Mavericks received.
Trading Skenes would save the Pirates money and the Red Sox offer a future star in the field that could help the team rebound. Anthony, Arias, and Gonzales would form a new young core along with Oneil Cruz instead of Pittsburgh putting all of their hopes on Skenes' shoulders. At the end of the day, it is a deal worth listening to and considering.
