Debate is already swirling about when the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade superstar pitcher Paul Skenes less than two years into
Debate is already swirling about when the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade superstar pitcher Paul Skenes less than two years into his career. They have failed to build around him as fans have clamored for owner Bob Nutting to sell the team. Pittsburgh’s payroll ranks 27th in baseball at $88.8 million and the Pirates haven’t signed a free agent to a multi-year deal since Ivan Nova in 2016.
Even though the Pirates refuse to shell out money during free agency, they are open to extending their own players. In April 2023, they signed two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds to an eight-year, $106.75 million extension. Would Skenes be willing to sign an extension with the Pirates? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat reporter Noah Hiles doesn’t think so.
“I give it a 1 percent chance right now. Now that figure can change, but if you’re Paul Skenes, what incentive do you have to sign an extension here?” Hiles told the “Foul Territory” podcast.
“One, I mean, the Pirates I will say, for the recent talents that they have been able to successfully develop, they extended [Andrew] McCutchen, they extended Starling Marte, they thought highly of Gregory Polanco and extended him. They have shown interest in the last decade or so in extending their internal talent that they develop.”
What incentive does Paul Skenes have to sign an extension with the Pirates? pic.twitter.com/891KNuPPsc
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 18, 2025
However, as Hiles points out, Skenes has much higher upside than McCutchen, Marte and Polanco, and the Pirates haven’t shown they’re willing to build a contender around the two-time All-Star pitcher.
“I mean why would any player right now want to sign an extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates? This is a guy who wants to win. That’s his main objective,” Hiles explained. “Every time you talk to him it’s never about his individual accolades or his individual success, it’s about what the team can do to be better, how can they win. This guy wants to compete. And in two seasons here, they haven’t done a ton to add around him. Until they start winning, I don’t think Paul Skenes would be interested in that.”
Skenes, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, became the first pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star game in his first two seasons. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season when he will be 27.
Skenes is a Cy Young favorite this season, posting an MLB-leading 2.01 ERA, 212 ERA+ and 4.8 bWAR, while leading the NL with a 2.40 FIP.
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Category: General Sports
