Time flies—it’s been a year since Paul Skenes made his MLB debut. He made his way from the PNC dugout to the field and went up against the Chicago Cubs. Right now, his fastball exceeds 100 mph effortlessly. But back then, in his first appearance, he couldn’t control his fastball and ended up giving up three runs across four innings against the Cubs. Even then, the Pittsburgh Pirates saw a bright future with him.
Skenes concluded his first MLB season with an 11-3 record, a 1.96 ERA, and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. Right now, after his outing against the New York Mets, he has a 1.37 ERA. However, the Pirates as a whole aren’t doing well, as they lost to the Mets by a score of 4-3. As the losses piled up and the Pirates’ familiar struggles returned, a new kind of storm began brewing-not on the field, but in the court of public opinion.
That storm reached a fever pitch when Gary Sheffield Jr., the outspoken son of former MLB star Gary Sheffield, took to social media and demanded the unthinkable: that the Pirates should trade away their young ace before his talent is wasted on a team unwilling to build a contender around him.
“Paul Skenes should ask to be traded now so we don’t have to waste two more seasons before that inevitable conclusion to the pit stop the Pirates are in any great player’s career,” Sheffield Jr. wrote on X. Harsh? Sure, but for all the right reasons.
Paul Skenes should ask to be traded now so we don’t have to waste two more seasons before that inevitable conclusion to the pit stop the Pirates are in any great player’s career
— Gary Sheffield Jr. (@GarysheffieldJr) May 13, 2025
However, it’s highly unlikely that the Pirates would even consider letting go of Skenes that easily, for obvious reasons. He’s the one providing the team’s much-needed leads in every game. Now, the thing is, the Pirates have never lacked talent in their lineup. It’s the unwillingness of their owner, Bob Nutting, to invest in the players that has sparked outrage among the Pirates Nation and beyond.
Interestingly, Sheffield Jr.’s blunt take was agreed upon by many because no one is stranger to Nutting’s ownership approach. Sheffield Jr.‘s frustration stems from the Pirates’ pattern. Whether it was losing Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros in 2018 or now possibly losing Skenes. Because one thing is clear: teams around the league would go to great lengths to sign Skenes.
Many have already started speculating where Skenes would land. There appear to be two names in the conversation: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
Yankees could go to any length to sign Paul Skenes
Just the idea of Skenes playing in the Bronx sounds exciting. When it comes down to the Dodgers or the Yankees, both have been going through major injury woes. However, you see, the Yankees are in a serious crisis with Cole and Luis Gil sidelined due to injury setbacks. The Yankees can make a big offer to sign Skenes. The NL Rookie of the Year is no rookie; his first MLB season was remarkable, and this one is nothing short of exceptional.
The Yankees have every reason to pursue this star pitcher. One thing that is a threat to the Yankees signing Skenes is that the Pirates won’t let him go that easily. Even if the Yankees get over their injury setbacks and find stability in their pitching staff, they will still try to get Skenes in the lineup.
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Cleveland Guardians at Pittsburgh Pirates Apr 19, 2025 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes 30 looks on before pitching against the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park. Pittsburgh PNC Park Pennsylvania USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCharlesxLeClairex 20250419_nts_al8_0104
In another post from Sheffield Jr., he has yet again voiced his take on Skenes. This time, he directly suggested that the Yankees sign him. He admitted that he “loves the idea” of the Yankees going for Skenes this time. As of Wednesday, Skenes owns a 2.63 ERA and a 53-to-15 K/BB ratio over 54.2 innings.
Sheffield Jr. shared his opinion, suggesting that any Paul Skenes trade deal should probably include outfielder Jasson Domínguez. We won’t have to wait too long to see where Skenes lands in the near future.
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