The struggling Pittsburgh Pirates have been urged to consider a shock trade of their star pitcher Paul Skenes.
Skenes, 22, is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and has quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport.
But with the 15-32 Pirates nowhere near contending, ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes it could be prudent for the team to cash in on their ace.
‘The truth is, there will be teams that ask about Paul Skenes at the deadline this year, and I don’t anticipate that he’s going to be moved,’ Passan began on the Pat McAfee Show.
‘But there’s a real argument to be made that the best thing for the Pittsburgh Pirates would be to move Paul Skenes while he has the most value.’
Skenes, who starred collegiately at LSU, posted an 11-3 record in his rookie season and has posted a blistering 2.16 ERA through 32 career starts.
Reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes has continued to impress for the Pirates
But ESPN’s Jeff Passan (center) has urged the Pirates to consider a shock trade of the star
But Pittsburgh haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and have just the third-lowest payroll in the league this season, per Spotrac.
Due to that lack of investment, Passan claimed that the Pirates were not currently ‘worthy’ of getting Skenes to sign an extension.
‘It’s not just Paul Skenes who deserves better,’ Passan continued. ‘It’s Pittsburgh Pirates fans who deserve better, and they deserve a system that allows teams to keep great players.
‘Now in some cases, guys will stay with small market teams, we’ve seen that… But what incentive does Paul Skenes have to extend with the Pirates when the Pirates haven’t shown the willingness – from either [owner] Bob Nutting all the way down – or the ability, to bring in guys who are going to make this team better? The Pirates haven’t shown that they are worthy of a Paul Skenes extension at this point.’
Skenes is making just $875,000 in his second pre-arbitration season, and won’t become eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season.
Skenes has also seen his fame rise due to his relationship with Livvy Dunne
The Pirates have fired manager Derek Shelton just 38 games into their season
Nonetheless, Passan evidently thinks the Pirates should consider dealing away the Cy Young candidate at his current value.
Despite his modest base salary, Skenes signed a record $9.2million signing bonus with the Pirates upon being drafted No. 1 overall by the team, and also saw his fame rise a due to his relationship with social media star and fellow ex-LSU athlete Livvy Dunne.
Last week, the Pirates fired their manager, Derek Shelton, amid a brutal start to the season, and Skenes had a fairly blunt response to the news.
‘We’re 12-26,’ he told reporters a few hours before Pittsburgh improved to 13-26 with a win over Atlanta. ‘Someone’s got to be held accountable. And unfortunately, right now, it’s him.
‘That’s just kind of how it goes. But I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is we need to play better.’
