Insider Shuts Down Pirates’ Paul Skenes Trade Thoughts
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of baseball's best pitchers in Paul Skenes, but questions of his departure have been a constant since his MLB debut.
Skenes has been the subject of trade rumors over the past few seasons, but the Pirates haven't moved him, keeping him as the ace of their rotation.
The Pirates improved in 2026 and could finally make the postseason in 2027, with Skenes playing a big part in that.
Robert Murray of FanSided doesn't see the Pirates moving on from Skenes either, saying in a recent Reddit AMA, "Skenes won't be traded this winter. Zero percent chance."
Why Skenes is the Subject of Trade Rumors
Skenes has been dominant since he first stepped onto the mound for the Pirates on May 11, 2024, and immediately put himself in conversations for best pitcher in baseball.
The Pirates haven't had a star like Skenes in recent history, and given their small-market status, fans and national writers don't think he'll stay with the franchise long-term.
Pittsburgh's lack of team success in his first two seasons, going 76-86 in 2024 and then 71-91 in 2025, saw consistent trade rumors around Skenes, who has winning as his top priority.
The Pirates shut down Skenes trade talks in 2025, when he won the National League Cy Young Award, and them clinching their first winning season in 2026, 82-80, since 2018, which quieted some of those discussions.
It wasn't just the team that put down trade discussions, as Skenes dismissed trade talks with the New York Yankees and committed to winning in Pittsburgh.
Skenes has just three years of team control left and is entering his first season of arbitration in 2027, as him winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2024 gave him a full year of service.
He will likely set records for his arbitration numbers, and MLB Trade Rumors projected him at $7.2 million for next season.
Dallas Keuchel set the record for first-year arbitration salary of $7.25 million in 2016, and after his first two seasons, Skenes coming close to that figure or even breaking it himself wouldn't be too shocking.
Skenes will receive even more money in the next two seasons and could set records for his second and third arbitration years.
He becomes a free agent at the end of the decade, and the Pirates re-signing him or signing him to a contract extension is incredibly unlikely for the small-market team, as a big-market team will offer a far bigger contract.
MLB is proposing a salary cap and floor for the new CBA that would take place in 2028, which could give the Pirates a chance to sign him, but the MLBPA (players' union), is against a salary cap and almost certainly wouldn't agree to it.
The Pirates could trade Skenes before he becomes a free agent, or they could keep him through his contract, getting the most out of the star pitcher and hoping he delivers winning baseball in his final three years.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.