Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes isn't going anywhere, at least not yet. Skenes is signed through the 2030 season, and is in his pre-arbitration years. Skenes is also about to pitch in his second All-Star Game, which is a massive accomplishment considering he's only played...two seasons. Life is good for Skenes right now, minus the fact that the team he plays for, the Pirates, is in last place in the NL Central. ESPN has a solution for that, and it's a predictable one.
ESPN's David Schoenfield does great work. I am not here to take personal shots at the Worldwide Leader or to suggest they don't know what they're talking about. Schoenfield largely does. However, like most national outlets, ESPN tends to lean towards big markets. It's why their dream trade packages for Skenes were to big-market teams, minus the Detroit Tigers. Below are the deals, and how we'd grade them here at FanSided.
Grading ESPN's Paul Skenes trades to the Mets, Dodgers and Tigers
What a Mets-Pirates trade for Paul Skenes definitely wouldn't look like
The Mets trade offer for Skenes also would include Carson Benge. Nonetheless, the Pirates wouldn't accept this deal that includes two top-50 prospects in part because none of the players they'd receive could replicate Skenes success. He is among the favorites to win the NL Cy Young in his second season. The Mets can acquire Skenes by playing the waiting game, but there is no dream trade to place him in a large market as of this writing.
How the Dodgers wouldn't trade for Paul Skenes
In this trade, the Dodgers also send Jackson Ferris to the Pirates. At the very least, the Dodgers offer has two top-20 prospects in it. That being said, again, we run into a familiar issue. None of the prospects the Dodgers send to the Pirates will become Skenes. Bob Nutting loathes the Dodgers and big-market teams, and is reportedly among the owners fighting for some form of sustainable salary cap. He won't succeed, but it also means he won't trade his best asset to a team like the Dodgers until he absolutely has to.
Tigers trade offer for Paul Skenes makes the most sense, but won't happen
The Tigers would also give up RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long in this trade. It's a haul for the Pirates, and perhaps the only deal they would consider...in a few years. Again, Pittsburgh is not trading Skenes at the 2025 deadline. I'm not sure how many times I can say it. However, it says a lot that the Tigers, a mid-market team, would apparently have to offer SO much more to land a player like Skenes. It's almost like...ESPN has an agenda.
ESPN told on itself with bogus Paul Skenes trades
Schoenfield suggested the Tigers trade made the most sense for both sides. Neither Scott Harris nor Ben Cherington would make this deal. First, trading Skenes would get Cherington fired, and there is no way Nutting would approve it. He's in enough trouble with the Pirates fanbase. Second, the Tigers have the best record in baseball without Skenes. While that might not last – this is a team with plenty of flaws – adding Skenes could actually close their window quicker, especially if they give up THAT much prospect talent in return.
In Clark, McGonigle and Jobe, the Tigers are giving up two top-11 prospects in baseball, and a pitcher they believe can be their next ace if Skubal leaves in free agency. Keith is a former top-50 prospect himself, and while he hasn't quite developed into their long-term middle infield solution just yet, he does receive regular at-bats. Gipson-Long would start for most teams as well.
When you compare the Tigers' offer to that of the Mets and Dodgers, it becomes clear that the Worldwide Leader would almost prefer Detroit give up the most to acquire Skenes. Meanwhile, the Mets and Dodgers offers are far more amenable to their roster depth. Why is that not the case with the Tigers?
In the end, Skenes could very well sign in a big market, but forcing the issue at this point is a bit much.