Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace, Paul Skenes, is an unrivaled hurler in today’s game. He also might soon be the top name on the trade market.
With aces like Gerrit Cole and Yoshinobu Yamamoto reaping salaries of $324 and $325 million respectively, we can likely expect Skenes to land a contract in line or north of both figures in free agency. This would all but guarantee that Skenes has no long-term future with the Pirates.
Pirates’ owner, Bob Nutting, has a rather maligned history of refusing to spend. The largest contract in Pirates’ history is Bryan Reynold’s $106.75 million deal, keeping him in Pittsburgh for a total of eight years with a club option for 2031. Like with the aforementioned Cole, trading Skenes isn’t just a possibility for the Pirates but an inevitability. With that said, let’s review three potential suitors that have what it takes to land an ace of this caliber.
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Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs have faced a repetitive streak of bad luck this season with frequent injuries to their starting rotation. Both Javier Assad and Shota Imanaga are currently missing from Chicago’s roster; but most notably, Justin Steele will not be back this season.
Boasting a first-place standing, one surefire year of Kyle Tucker and genuine World Series aspirations, the Cubs have no time to waste. Adding a star like Skenes would go a long way to ensuring the Cubs’ World Series dreams become a reality.
The Cubs own a deep farm system with a total of six top 100 prospects. Matt Shaw and Cade Horton are likely off limits since both are needed in Chicago, but among other interesting pieces are Cubs’ No. 3 and 4 prospects Owen Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros.
Caissie, a power over hit outfielder, offers 30+ home run potential with exceptional speed. Ballesteros, a touted catching prospect who may be better served as a DH, was recently called up in place of the injured Ian Happ. He was hitting .368 in Triple-A after wrapping up a 19-game hitting streak prior to his callup. Despite their potential, neither Caissie nor Ballesteros have an immediate role with the Cubs, that is, at least when Happ returns, due to lack of space on the roster.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Not unlike the Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers have also been battling rotational misfortunes. Los Angeles has a long list of starters that are currently unable to pitch: Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, etc. Clayton Kershaw, who returned from a long IL stint on Saturday, will provide a much-needed respite for their stretched pitching depth, however, this will do little to ease concerns surrounding their rotation.
As a whole, the Dodgers’ pitching staff owns a 4.18 ERA. Should they trade for Skenes, the Dodgers would only cement their status as World Series favorites.
The Dodgers’ farm system boasts five top 100 prospects. Since the Dodgers are stacked with pitching, we might expect them to part with No. 9 prospect and promising hurler, River Ryan. Ryan owns what might be the most electric arsenal in the Dodgers system, but unfortunately, his Tommy John procedure has ensured he will not take the mound in 2025. The Dodgers would likely offer him as he will serve them no purpose this season.
But regardless if Ryan is traded, the Pirates will also inquire about higher ranking prospects as well as major leaguers. This would include Hyeseong Kim and recently promoted No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing. No. 2 and 3 prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope are also worth watching though their debuts are not imminent.
Detroit Tigers
Since last season, the Detroit Tigers have not ceased to impress. No one expected that after a sub-.500 season in 2023, the Tigers would blow past the Astros in the Wild Card round the very next year. Now, the Tigers are exceeding all expectations, clinging to the best record in baseball.
Despite their utter dominance, the Tigers aren’t exactly seen as serious World Series contenders. However, this could easily change if they were to acquire Skenes.
The Tigers currently have three reliable starters: Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Reese Olson. Besides these three, the rotation has experienced problems. Both Jackson Jobe and Jack Flaherty own ERAs above 4.00. Adding Skenes to any rotation would be an improvement, but pairing him with Skubal would provide the Tigers with an unbeatable combo to start any postseason series.
Even with Jobe’s prospect status now lost, the Tigers still sport a farm system with five top 100 prospects. Though none of their top five are expected to debut this year, there are a lot of prospects the Pirates could choose from to successfully build their future.
The crème of crop in the Tigers’ farm system is Max Clark, who possess great contact-hitting skills, staunch power and awe-striking speed. If the Tigers are going to land Skenes, Clark will likely be required. Other names that would likely be tossed around are Kevin McGonigle and Colt Keith.