Any Paul Skenes trade chatter isn't based in reality, though it is a fun exercise – exactly how much should your team give up for an ace of Skenes caliber? The NL Cy Young candidate is under contract through the 2030 season. He's also wasting away in Pittsburgh, and it's a sound bet that the Pirates won't improve much in the next few seasons, especially if they fire Ben Cherington and rebuild once again. Could the Braves, for example, pull off such a trade?
The answer, in short, is probably not. Atlanta's farm system leaves a lot to be desired. It would take Major League talent for the Braves to even get on the phone with Pittsburgh – and even then, the answer is likely no. Trading Skenes not only sends the best pitcher in the National League (in my opinion) elsewhere, it would also start a revolt in Pittsburgh. The Pirates may one day have to face reality with Skenes, especially when that extension date draws ever-closer.
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A Braves trade for Paul Skenes doesn't work
Just for fun, the fine folks over at 680 The Fan floated a metaphorical trade offer for Skenes, which included AJ Smith-Shawver, Drake Baldwin and more. Some of the team thought Michael Harris II would need to be in said offer. However, the group couldn't agree if this limited offer was apparently TOO MUCH for Skenes, who has all the above attributes in his favor.
Skenes has, again, some of the best stuff we've seen at the big-league level at quite some time. While he's not Shohei Ohtani, in a larger market he'd lead to an incredible revenue stream. In terms of trade value, he's the most valuable player in MLB at this very moment. Baldwin looks like an All-Star caliber catcher at best. Smith-Shawver is (potentially) a high-leverage relief pitcher if all works out. Harris II won NL Rookie of the Year in 2022, but has fallen off a bit since.
If the Braves ever wanted to have a conversation about Skenes, they'd need to be willing to include anyone. That's the point. And while one Braves analyst considered Skenes a 'ticking time bomb', that is the inherent risk with any high-level starting pitcher. Skenes throws hard. So does Spencer Strider, and we all know how his career has gone so far. The point being, yes, trading for Skenes would come with significant risk. However, that's also the asking price these days.
I can understand the argument that trading several starting players from a playoff-caliber team isn't ideal. But if the Braves ever did want to deal for Skenes, they wouldn't be the ones hanging up the phone.