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Paul Skenes pitches in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on September 16, 2025.
MLB’s hot stove season is finally here. Every offseason, there are rumors of high-profile names potentially being on the move. For the last few months, for whatever reason, there have been reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates may be willing to move on from starter Paul Skenes because they are unlikely to retain him in free agency.
On Wednesday, during the GM meetings in Las Vegas, Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherington simply stated that the team will not be trading Paul Skenes this offseason, and that he “is going to be a Pirate in 2026,” according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
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Do the Pirates Have Any Reason to Trade Paul Skenes?
The Pirates have very little reason to trade Paul Skenes, at least not now. He was the No.1 overall draft pick in the summer of 2023 and was called up to the big leagues shortly in 2024. He’s been the All-Star game starter for two years straight and is likely going to win his first NL Cy Young later this week. He already has a Rookie of the Year award on his MLB resume as well.
GettyPaul Skenes pitches in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on September 16, 2025.
Pittsburgh has one of the stingiest owners in MLB in Bob Nutting, so the idea of Skenes being traded down the road is absolutely still a possibility. But Cherington assured his 2026 status at the GM meetings.
Per usual, if the Pirates do open up the possibility of Skenes being traded in the future, it will be the big players that make the best effort at acquiring him (Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Giants).
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Paul Skenes’ Early Career Numbers Might Be the Best Ever
Since Paul Skenes took the mound for the first time in 2024, he has some of the most absurd early-career stats, maybe ever, from a starting pitcher.
In 55 career starts, Skenes has a 1.96 ERA! In 320.2 innings and 386 strikeouts. This season, Skenes made 32 starts and led MLB in ERA+, FIP (2.36), and Hr/9 (0.5). That’s just 11 home runs given up in 187.2 innings.
If that isn’t good enough, his career WHIP is also 0.948. It’s hard to remember the last time a starter burst onto the scene in a bigger way than Skenes.
Skenes is still under team control for another four seasons, so the Pirates might as well go for it in terms of making the playoffs.
Other reports from Ben Cherington suggest that the Pittsburgh Pirates may make a stronger push for contention.
The organization has a good group of talented arms, but the offense just has not been there in recent seasons, and that’s going to require owner Bob Nutting to sign players via free agency, which he has not done. Cherington will enter his sixth season with Pittsburgh, and they have yet to reach the 80-win mark.
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