MLB Rumors: Red Sox and Cubs switch gears, Paul Skenes confused by Yankees link

Getting credentialed for the MLB All-Star festivities isn't as hard as it looks. MLB has rightly given media more access to its stars than ever. Unfortunately, not every member of the media actually deserves access. Paul Skenes found out this lesson the hard way when he was approached by a sports media personality on Monday and asked about possibly joining the New York Yankees. Never mind that the Pirates are just games out of a playoff spot, or Skenes is under contract through 2030. None of it matters.

At the midsummer classic, even Pirates fans deserve a chance to get excited. This is doubly true given the close nature of Wild Card races in both leagues. Pittsburgh could buy at the trade deadline. The same can be said of the Boston Red Sox, winners of nine straight who were once proclaimed dead on arrival. The rumblings in Philadelphia are real, even if Skenes was on the worst end of it.

Red Sox could buy at the MLB trade deadline

The Red Sox are just a half-game back of an AL Wild Card spot at the break. While Boston was once deemed a trade deadline seller — and who could blame them given they fired Alex Cora earlier this season and showed no signs of turning their season around — Craig Brewslow's decision is no longer a simple one, especially as it pertains to veterans like Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray.

"No longer do Gray, Chapman and others look like goners as they did throughout much of the last three weeks. As well-performing veterans in their late thirties, they are clearly at the peak of their value. But trading them would send a deflating message to a clubhouse that, with new characters and a renewed sense of energy, has fought its way back into the thick of things," Chris Cotillo of MassLive wrote.

Contreras is beloved by the fanbase and a loud presence in the locker room. His play has backed that up, as well, as Contreras has a .921 OPS and he participated in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Gray, meanwhile, leads a rotation that is without Garrett Crochet. And Chapman is one of the more reliable closers in all of MLB. If Breslow is serious about making a postseason run, they ought to keep all three.

Deleted tweet expresses doubt in Cubs front office

The Chicago Cubs likely won't overcome the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, but they're in prime position to make the postseason as a Wild Card team. What the Cubs need most of all at the MLB trade deadline is rotation depth. Justin Steele could return to this season, but it'll likely be in a bullpen role. Cade Horton is also out for the year. You get the picture.

Cubs beat reporter Bruce Levin appeared to accidentally tweet out a message to a member of the coaching staff expressing doubt in the team's front office. That tweet has been deleted.

Levine seems to refer to Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins (or other unnamed members of the Cubs front office) as "twinkle dee" and "twinkle dum", hoping that the organization actually makes the necessary moves to win now, rather than sitting on their hands. That's not a good sign for Chicago's trade deadline as a whole.

What is Paul Skenes supposed to do?

As mentioned in the intro above, Skenes is a Pittsburgh Pirate until proven otherwise. Skenes is under contract with the Pirates through the 2030 season and is on an affordable deal. Why the Pirates would trade him now I do not know, but it says a lot about the baseball landscape that even when Pittsburgh has a productive baseball team, it seems like only a matter of time before their best pitcher is playing in a bigger market.

As unprofessional as that question was, Skenes did a good job of handling it. He was just as confused as the other reporters sitting around him. While the day may come where the Pirates shop Skenes on the trade market — especially if they cannot extend him prior to free agency — that time is not now. This is a non-story, but a wanna-be baseball personality made it one.

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