Paul Skenes is off to among the finest beginnings to a profession for any pitcher in baseball historical past, as he’s 15-8 with a 2.03 ERA and 247 strikeouts via his first 35 begins.
Sadly, the Pittsburgh Pirates would have the worst report within the Nationwide League if the Colorado Rockies weren’t taking part in like a tee-ball staff, so it was solely a matter of time earlier than commerce rumors began to pile on to the turmoil.
In case the Pirates’ entrance workplace publicly shutting down the commerce rumors wasn’t sufficient, ESPN insider Jeff Passan lately echoed these sentiments.
“Simply to be clear, the Pirates haven’t any intention of buying and selling Paul Skenes at this level,” Passan mentioned, through “SportsCenter.”
“Simply to be clear, the Pirates haven’t any intention of buying and selling Paul Skenes at this level.”@JeffPassan clears up Paul Skenes commerce rumors on the @PatMcAfeeShow. pic.twitter.com/KH9QMMuahs
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 2, 2025
Skenes lately turned 23 years outdated and hasn’t even reached arbitration but, so a pitcher of his caliber hitting the commerce market might fetch one of many largest hauls in historical past.
That being mentioned, it will be an inconceivable promote to an already annoyed fan base if the Pirates traded Skenes, who is without doubt one of the few shiny spots on this terrible staff.
Pittsburgh’s concern stays the truth that possession doesn’t appear to care sufficient, because the Pirates as soon as once more rank close to the underside in payroll, leading to a nasty offense failing to help among the finest beginning rotations in baseball.
The Pirates have to go all in and construct round Skenes by supporting him with affect bats, and it’s good to no less than hear that these commerce rumors are being shut down instantly, as a result of having him keep in Pittsburgh and probably lead them again to prominence is the very best final result for the sport as an entire.
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