Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes (the main character in the trade speculation) has publicly expressed his frustration over rumors linking him to a trade to the New York Yankees, vehemently denying claims that he desires to leave the Pirates.
The speculation, fueled by the Pirates’ struggles and the historical precedent of small-market stars being traded, is overshadowing Skenes’s monumental achievements, including his recent, unanimous 2025 NL Cy Young Award win.
🛑 Skenes Shuts Down the Rumor Mill
The trade rumors reached a peak when a report from NJ Advance Media quoted an anonymous Pirates teammate claiming that Skenes had mentioned a desire to play for the New York Yankees before hitting free agency in 2029.
Skenes, a two-time All-Star and the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, immediately addressed the claim on The Dan Patrick Show, offering a clear and definitive message:
“I was frustrated for a couple of hours and then kind of got over it… Obviously, it’s not true.”
He has consistently and unequivocally rejected the narrative, reinforcing his commitment to the organization that drafted him.
The Underlying Tension: Commitment vs. Contention
The reason the rumors gained so much traction is due to the inherent tension between Skenes’s individual dominance and the Pirates’ organizational failures.
| The Skenes Side (Commitment) | The Pirates Side (Frustration) |
| His Goal is Pittsburgh: Skenes has repeatedly stated his goal is to “win with the Pirates” and be part of the group that changes the franchise’s losing culture (Source 2.4, 2.5). | Organizational Failure: The Pirates finished with a 71-91 record in 2025—their seventh consecutive losing season—despite Skenes’s Cy Young-winning, MLB-best $1.97 \text{ ERA}$ (Source 1.1). |
| The “Unfinished Work”: He cited the feeling of leaving “unfinished work” at Air Force after winning a conference title, implying he feels the same urgency to complete the job in Pittsburgh before he would consider leaving (Source 1.6). | The Gerrit Cole Parallel: Fans and analysts are quick to draw parallels to Gerrit Cole, another small-market, top-draft-pick ace the Pirates traded away before free agency, creating the fear that Skenes will follow the same path to a big-market team like the Yankees (Source 1.6). |
The Clock is Ticking for Pittsburgh
The speculation, though denied by Skenes, serves as a significant pressure point on the Pirates’ front office, led by Ben Cherington.
- Club Control: Skenes is under club control for four more seasons and won’t reach arbitration until after the 2026 season. The Pirates have him on a team-friendly deal throughout his prime.
- The Organizational Test: Skenes has delivered on his promise by becoming a dominant ace; now, the spotlight is on the front office to fulfill its end of the deal. As Skenes himself has stated, the team needs to stop relying on “promise” and start making meaningful additions to the position player group to build a winner around him (Source 1.4, 3.4).
General Manager Ben Cherington has firmly stated that “Paul Skenes is going to be a Pirate in 2026” (Source 3.1), but the trade rumors will continue to swirl until the team proves it is committed to winning with its generational ace.
The Pirates are reportedly looking to be more aggressive this offseason. Would you like the latest news on the Pirates’ efforts to sign a legitimate veteran position player to help Skenes win?
