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There's no reason to suspect the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to deal starting pitcher Paul Skenes at the trade deadline. But this is early July, which is peak trade rumor season, and that means we can all explore the possibility.
ESPN's David Schoenfield did just that on Tuesday, examining what it would take to send the Cy Young candidate to a trio of contenders: the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. But, of course, he first had to state the obvious:
“He's arguably the best starter in baseball, perhaps on his way to a Cy Young Award in his first full season,” Schoenfield wrote. “He's one of the biggest names in the sport — despite playing for the lowly Pirates — and a player you can build not only a pitching staff around but a championship contender. He's under team control through 2029 and doesn't even become arbitration-eligible until 2027, so the Pirates are still years away from paying him a fair salary.”
Then Schoenfield acknowledged a harsh reality: Skenes is a pitcher and pitchers get hurt sometimes. It's possible that Skenes' trade value will never be higher than it is right now.
Potential Paul Skenes prospect trade packages
The offers laid out for Skenes are:
New York Mets: SS/CF Jett Williams (No. 20), RHP Jonah Tong (No. 50), RHP Nolan McLean, IF Ronny Mauricio, OF Carson Benge
Los Angeles Dodgers: C/OF Dalton Rushing (No. 14), OF Josue De Paula (No. 17), IF Alex Freeland, RHP Emmet Sheehan, LHP Jackson Ferris
Detroit Tigers: OF Max Clark (No. 8), SS Kevin McGonigle (No. 11), RHP Jackson Jobe, IF Colt Keith, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long
Of the three, Schoenfield pegs the Tigers as the most likely to get a deal done. The franchise has the perfect combination of farm system depth and payroll flexibility to make a big move for a pitcher who will command big money down the road.
In this theoretical trade, the Pirates would get two top-15 prospects in the sport to headline the package — and Detroit would still have plenty of talent left over. Pittsburgh would also get Jobe, a former elite prospect who just underwent Tommy John surgery.
The potential return for the Pirates could set them up for years to come, but potential does not guarantee anything. The Pirates have Skenes now and a chance to build around him. Prying him free will take a lot.
