Paul Skenes trade rumors: Pirates officials give blunt response to talk of star pitcher moving out of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had yet another horrific start to the season. With a 33-50 record, they are fifth in the NL Central and set to miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. In fact, the Pirates haven't had a winning record since the 2018 season when they managed 82 wins.

That has reignited trade talks among the Pirates ranks. There have been rumors about a possible trade for Paul Skenes, who's having a Cy Young-contending season without any help from the offense. The No.1 draft pick from the 2023 season has become their ace since debuting in the big leagues last May.

Skenes has been touted to be the franchise's face in the upcoming future, but the lack of success in the Pirates organization is telling. They will have four years of club control for Skenes after this season, through to 2030 when he becomes a free agent. However, without rebuilding around him, Skenes cannot help the Pirates to glory alone.

There have been talks that a player like Skenes could be the Pirates' way to get back to success. Trading for the 23-year-old right now would be as massive or even better than the 2022 Juan Soto trade from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres that had eight players involved.

However, for this season, the Pirates aren't considering it at all. As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Pirates executives have shot down the idea of a Skenes trade alongside veteran Andrew McCutchen.

"Ace right-hander Paul Skenes and franchise icon Andrew McCutchen are the Pirates’ only untouchables, according to officials briefed on the team’s plans," Rosenthal wrote.

Skenes leads the National League with a 2.12 ERA and 0.91 WHIP but has a 4-7 win-loss record on the mound.

Mitch Keller likely to be traded by Pirates

Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller could be traded with the deadline apporaching. Keller is signed to a five-year $77 million contract. His $15 million annual payment for this year took up 20 percent of the Pirates' payroll.

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With his salary set to increase from $16.5-20 million for the next three years, the Pirates have been projected to send him elsewhere.

Keller is sporting a 3.90 ERA, fresh off a 5.1 innings one-run ball against the Mets on Friday. He has consistenly proven to be a lower order pitcher in the Pirates rotation and could be the start to a possible rebuild for the team.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Bhargav