Paul Skenes has been everything the Pittsburgh Pirates could’ve hoped for, and more. Since his debut in 2024, the flamethrower has been lights out, already racking up a 14–7 record, 2.16 ERA, and 223 strikeouts. He is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, and even finished third in Cy Young voting. The guy is legit.
But the Pirates? Not so much.
Pittsburgh has stumbled out of the gate in 2025, sitting at 12–26, which led to the firing of manager Derek Shelton. Things have been messy, and even with Skenes dominating on the mound, the rest of the team hasn’t followed.
Jeff Passan Drops a Harsh Truth About Skenes’ Future
ESPN insider Jeff Passan didn’t sugarcoat it. He laid out the cold, hard truth on The Pat McAfee Show. The MLB analyst believes that if the Pirates don’t think they can lock down Skenes long-term, they might have to trade him sooner rather than later.
“If they believe that they have absolutely no chance of signing him, then they should trade him”, Passan said. “You can make the argument they should trade him now.”
Jeff Passan says the Pirates' best course of action might be to trade Paul Skenes and that teams will ask about him at the trade deadline this year.
— Dom DiTommaso (@DomDiTommaso) May 14, 2025
We haven't even had him for a full season yet. pic.twitter.com/EIsIJqyLkO
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Passan was clear that he doesn’t expect the Pirates to move Skenes yet, but other teams are already calling. And if Pittsburgh keeps losing and refuses to spend on real bats, the pressure to flip their star pitcher for a massive return will only grow.
It’s not about Skenes. It’s about the franchise’s direction.
He’s a generational talent, but the Pirates are at a crossroads. Build around him? Or cash in now while his value is sky-high?
Either way, it’s not what fans want to hear, and as Passan said, “it’s a depressing reality.”
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