Strange rumors over the past couple of days suggest the Pittsburgh Pirates don't believe they have a chance to keep Paul Skenes, which might not surprise some, but it's still unfortunate for the organization.
The reality is, until the Pirates lose Skenes in free agency, there isn't much reason they shouldn't be able to keep him.
The right-hander has thrown the ball as well as anyone in Major League Baseball history over the past couple of years, even in a down season last year. Skenes is still among the elite in Major League Baseball, and the Pirates have no reason to lose him before free agency for money.
At the same time, if the Pirates believe trading Skenes now would help them land the players they need over the next couple of years, it's not a bad idea.
They expect to get one of the biggest trade packages in Major League Baseball history, so in that regard, it could make sense.
However, a Bleacher Report writer recently suggested that making the necessary moves to keep him around would be the better decision, and that's hard to disagree with.
“If the Pirates feel this might be their last season with Skenes, they should step out of their comfort zone, to steal a phrase, and try to make a run. This team hasn't made the postseason since 2015. They haven't advanced a round in the postseason since winning the 2013 Wild-Card Game.
“They cannot let Skenes' time in the franchise come and go without changing both of those. Some of this will come down to Skenes rebounding. After winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and Cy Young in 2025, Skenes posted a more modest 3.82 ERA across 174.1 innings in 2026. Both his 3.28 expected ERA and 3.33 FIP suggest he was unlucky. There's no doubt that the Buccos need the peak version of Skenes to go where they want,” Bleacher Report wrote.
With Skenes still on the roster, the Pirates could be one of the best teams in baseball if everything goes perfectly. Obviously, that hasn't been the case over the past couple of years, but this was still nearly a playoff team last year.
The Pirates don't feel as far away as some believe, and that's something everybody has to keep in the back of their mind.