Paul Skenes Reportedly Wants To Be Traded To Specific Big Market Team
Cy Young favorite allegedly told teammates he wants out of Pittsburgh as soon as possible
Paul Skenes is one of the rare top draft picks, top prospects, to deliver on the pre-debut hype. And then some.
Skenes won the 2024 Rookie of the Year award after a dominant debut. Instead of the sophomore slump, Skenes followed that up with another outstanding 2025 season. A 1.97 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 216 strikeouts in 187 innings. Just 42 walks and 136 hits allowed. He's a deserving favorite to win the NL Cy Young.
But because he pitches for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was just 10-10 and his team finished 71-91, 20 games under .500 and in dead last in the Nl Central. Skenes is under team control through the 2029 season, but with that team being the Pirates, it's become a repetitive question already: Will they ever spend enough money to build a competitive roster?
According to a new report, Skenes may have already made up his mind that they won't. And he may not be interested in becoming the pitching version of Mike Trout, stuck in perennial MLB purgatory watching other organizations succeed.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. The Reds won, 2-1. (© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Would Pittsburgh Pirates Actually Trade Skenes Before Free Agency?
A new report from Randy Miller and NJ Advance Media claims that Skenes has already spoken with teammates about his desire to leave the organization as soon as possible. And join…the New York Yankees?
"According to a Pirates teammate who recently spoke with NJ Advance Media," the article says, "Skenes has ‘no confidence the Pirates ever are going to win’ with him in Pittsburgh, and he’s ‘hoping for a trade’ well before he can become a free agent after the 2029 season."
"'Trust me, he wants to play for the Yankees,' the Skenes teammate said. ‘I’ve heard him say it multiple times.’"
Miller asked Ben Cherington, the Pirates' General Manager about it.
"I do dismiss it, but I understand it," he responded. "What we’re going to focus on is just how do we win games with him in a Pirates uniform."
"I have a ton of respect for the Yankees, but we’ll just focus on what we need to do."
Cherington's already said that Skenes will be in a Pirates uniform in 2026, which makes sense considering he's in the last year of pre-arbitration. His salary, though, will increase in 2027 once he reaches arbitration. And the Pirates are notoriously cheap, to the point where they haven't signed an outside free agent to a multi-year contract in a decade.
Once he reaches free agency, it's a near-impossibility for Skenes to stay in Pittsburgh. Not because they can't afford him, but because they'll choose not to. If that's the case, would they try and trade him for a generational return? To reset the organization with more prospects, in the hope of somehow competing while spending negative dollars on salary?
Skenes may or may not have said this, and he may or may not want to play for the Yankees. It wouldn't be surprising to see him traded, though it would be disappointing. Teams lucky enough to find a superstar like Skenes should hold on to them. And more importantly, build around them. Pittsburgh has shown no willingness to do so, thus far. But don't worry, Cherington also said the team's bottom five payroll is expected to rise by a few million dollars next year. That'll fix it.