Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ace Paul Skenes Shrugs Off Unfounded Trade Talk

As might be expected from a pitcher who throws 100 mph, Pittsburgh right-hander Paul Skenes took the high road when he found himself the subject of trade rumors.

“It doesn’t affect anything,” Skenes said.

“Anybody can play GM.”

The Pirates seem to understand how ludicrous it would be to trade Skenes at this point, less than two years into his major league career that includes the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year award and a start in the 2024 All-Star Game.

“It’s not part of the conversation at all,” Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherington said.

There are many ways to build a pennant contender, and they can vary by market size and financial means. History indicates the Pirates would be best served by keeping Skenes and fitting pieces around him rather than vice versa. They tried it the other way with Gerrit Cole. It did not work.

“He’s definitely a guy you want to build around,” Pirates interim manager Don Kelly said after Skenes threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 10-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

“No doubt. Paul Skenes, they don’t come around … ever. There are few pitchers like that.”

Kelly knows the type. He played with legitimate aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer during the Detroit Tigers’ postseason runs in 2011-1014, and he noted the similarities between those two Hall of Fame candidates and Skenes.

Verlander won the AL Cy Young award in 2011 and was second in 2012. Scherzer won it in 2013 and won consecutive NL Cy Youngs after being traded to Washington in 2016-17. Scherzer is one of seven pitchers to win it in both leagues.

“That’s what you see in Paul, that type of guy,” Kelly said. “If he continues to develop, continues to grow. He’s a pitcher, not a thrower. Just the way he works.”

Not that keeping him would not stretch the budget. Skenes, 23 today, has five more years of team control, two when his contract can be unilaterally renewed before three more of arbitration.

If Skenes continues on his current same path, he certainly would challenge or break the record arbitration award for major league pitchers of $13.5 million, which was set by Cole in 2019 and met by Max Fried in 2023.

Skenes has made quality starts in 10 of his 12 appearances this season, including eight of the last nine. His ERA fell to 2.15 Wednesday, and he is 4-5 because of limited run support.

“When he is on, he is on, and we know as a club if we can just score one run, we’re gong to be in a good place,” Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen said. “We’ve probably taken that a little too literally this year. He’s a special talent.”

Skenes struck out Bryce Harper on four fastballs in the first inning of a 1-0, complete game loss to Philadelphia to May 18. All four were at least 98.9 mph, according to Statcast, and Harper swung through a 99.7 fastball to end the at-bat.

Skenes is as physically imposing — 6-foot-5, 260 — as his numbers.

The Pirates have been in this position before, albeit late in their star pitcher’s career. Cole, like Skenes, was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Pirates. They traded him to Houston before the 2018 season for a package that included Joe Musgrove and three others.

Finances were the driver. Cole had one year of arbitration eligibility remaining at the time of the deal, and the small-spending Pirates saw it as fiscally prudent. They were right on that side. Cole has made $337.5 million since. The Pirates’ payroll this season is $90 million.

Cole has built a Hall of Fame resume in the seven-plus seasons since that deal, and Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in San Diego history after being traded as part of another Pirates’ roster renovation.

How the Pirates handle their ace this time, time will tell.

“We have a good core for sure and a good opportunity to do something in Pittsburgh,” Skenes said. “We saw it last year for a good part of the year. Just have to keep going.”

As for the future?

“I don’t know,” he said. “Just here and now.”