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The Pittsburgh Pirates are not going to be a contender anytime soon. But that doesn't mean they're about to trade their best player.
By no surprise, reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes has seen his name pop up in rumors. That being said, it's simply just buzz.
Via Jon Heyman:
“Pirates source: Paul Skenes is not getting traded. “No chance, no way, no how,” is the way I heard it. While there’s a bit of logic to such a scenario, superstars just aren’t traded by anyone with 1 year service time and the Pirates remain determined to build around Skenes,” Heyman wrote on X.
Skenes is clearly the building block for this franchise. They also have a promising arm alongside him in the rotation in Jared Jones, but he's dealing with an elbow injury at the moment.
The 22-year-old Skenes is dominating again in 2025. While his record sits at just 3-5, the former first overall pick owns a 2.44 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. Skenes has struck out 62 hitters in 62.2 innings while walking just 16.
As Heyman noted, Skenes has been in the big leagues for just one year, and he is undoubtedly a bona fide superstar. Although the Pirates sit at 16-40, they remain determined to become a force in the National League by adding talent around Skenes, who is definitely going to win a Cy Young sooner rather than later.
After coming up to the Majors last May, Skenes absolutely shoved and showed why he could be the next big thing in the show. He went 11-3 with an impressive 1.96 ERA in 23 starts.
The Pirates have lost other stars in the past. When it comes to pitchers, the first name that comes to mind is Gerrit Cole, who broke onto the scene with Pittsburgh. However, Skenes is still very young, and he has two more seasons before even becoming arbitration-eligible.
As things stand, it appears the flamethrower isn't going anywhere.
