The Pittsburgh Pirates are in last place in the NL Central, which means many are tabbing them as a seller for this summer’s trade deadline.
Pittsburgh’s best trade asset, starting pitcher Paul Skenes, is the player brought up most often in potential rumors.
However, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has made it clear that Skenes is not available in trade talks. Skenes spoke to reporters about being included in trade rumors.
“There’s no substance to just all that talk that you hear on social media and news outlets and stuff like that,” Skenes said h/t ESPN.
Skenes isn’t eligible for arbitration until the 2027 season, and he is under contract with the Pirates until 2029.
Pittsburgh may be a bad baseball team, coming in dead last in many offensive categories, but that isn’t enough of a reason to trade its best player.
The Pirates could get a king’s ransom in a trade for Skenes, and that’s just in his second MLB season.
If the Buccos feel it is best to trade Skenes, they should do it closer to when he becomes a free agent so he has a chance to boost his value. That being said, injuries could come and tank his value just as much, but the chances of him being worth even more in a few years is pretty high.
Many believe Skenes could be the next Gerrit Cole, traded for a pile of prospects just before his prime, but that isn’t happening any time soon.
