On May 29th, the star of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Paul Skenes, turned 23. Naturally, his girlfriend Olivia Dunne couldn’t let the day pass without celebrating the love of her life. The LSU gymnast and social media sensation shared a romantic carousel post featuring multiple warm moments of the couple. For the birthday celebration, both Skenes and Livvy flew to San Diego, California.
Let’s not forget, our star pitcher hails from Southern California. He was raised in Orange County and attended El Toro High School, and played three seasons of varsity baseball. And for his 23rd birthday, he took his girlfriend to So Cal.
Livvy Dunne, Paul Skene’s GF, posting that she likes it at Petco Park
Paul Skenes is from So Cal
There have been rumors that it would be smart for the Pirates to trade him
You know that means:….
Credit: @trevdawg27 pic.twitter.com/37rKJ6DJWp
— Devine Sports Gospel (@DevineGospel) May 29, 2025
After having a wholesome breakfast at Richard Walker’s Pancake House, they headed to Petco Park. That’s when Livvy, intentionally or not, let slip a few clues pointing to something huge. Live from Petco Park, she snapped her picture there and captioned it “I like it here.” Even though nothing direct, such a post amid the ongoing trade buzz of Skenes would definitely bring up certain speculations.
To top it all off, the San Diego Padres have already been eyeing him. Although the team is thriving with one of the league’s most effective pitching rosters, adding Skenes would just give the Padres a frightening edge. And with the Pirates failing to open their wallets for a top talent, the right-hander is very likely to be traded sooner or later.
But the Pirates’ GM Ben Cherington has shut down the trade buzz. “Not a part of the conversation at all.”
Yet, denials haven’t stopped the MLB world from spiraling! It was a simple four-word caption from Livvy on her Snapchat story. Still, when looked at from the lens of ongoing trade rumors and Skenes’ connection with SoCal, it has sent the fans speculating hard.
Now, if this deal materializes, the Padres will likely exchange three of their prospects. Shortstop Leo De Vries, catcher Ethan Salas, and left-hander Kash Mayfield.
Skenes would be a boost to any team that he lands in; however, with his unlimited potential and 2.12 ERA over the last two seasons, the Padres can highly benefit from him. And the Pirates? Well, thanks to Nutting, the team is struggling and is sitting near the bottom of the NL Central standings at 21-36.
Skenes shines amid Pirates’ struggles: Dominant stats
If not the San Diego Padres, then any other MLB team… One thing feels sure: Despite Cherington’s denial, Skenes will end up in a better big-budget team.
As per Manny Randhawa from MLB.com, Skenes has been named as one of five starting pitchers on the All-MLB First Team through May. The 23-year-old joins the elite company of Zack Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Max Fried, and Tarik Skubal. Unsurprisingly, he’s the only one from the Pirates to make this cut.
It’s his individual achievement while the team is still deep in a rebuild mode.
Throughout his 11 starts this season, the right-hander has put up a 2.36 ERA across 66.2 innings. He has reportedly struck out 70 batters, walked just 18, and held the opposing team to a .190 batting average. A mirror of his 2024 performance—his WHIP sits at a stunning 0.95.
Well, in spite of this impressive set of numbers, Skenes holds a 3-5 record. This is just a glimpse of the pirates’ inability to build an offensive support around Skenes. The team has reportedly managed only 37 runs in games where Skenes has started.
In Randhawa’s words, Skenes brings “the most electric” presence on the mound. And even off the court, he continues to draw attention for his relationship with LSU gymnast and influencer Olivia Dunne.
A fan favorite, always…
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