Paul Skenes tops the list of must-watch players in MLB. He is electric virtually every night on the mound, delivering consistently excellent results for a Pittsburgh Pirates team that does not deserve him.
Skenes has a 2.02 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 154 strikeouts in 138.0 innings pitched this season. He also has a losing record of 6-8. Pittsburgh has failed Skenes time and time again, whether it's a bullpen collapse, the rampant incompetence of the Pirates lineup or a directionless front office. This team cannot preserve leads, much less build on them.
Pirates fans love Skenes and he has embraced the city. He's a two-time All-Star Game starter in 1.5 MLB seasons. We are watching the fledging stages of a legendary career. And yet, with Pittsburgh completely unwilling to spend in free agency and remarkably inept when it comes to developing talent in-house, it's hard to imagine Skenes spending his whole career there.
The 23-year-old is technically under contract through 2029, but it doesn't take much reading between the lines to surmise that Skenes would rather be pitching in a more competitive environment. Barring a miraculous organizational turnaround, it's only a matter of time until Skenes gets restless and the Pirates start mulling over potential trade options to cash in on their best asset and start this cycle of mediocrity all over again.
Here are a three small-market stars in a similar boat to Skenes.
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LHP MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals began this season with medium hopes. There's a lot of talent on the roster, most of it still ascending, but 2025 has quickly fallen by the wayside. So much so that Washington earnestly took calls on 26-year-old ace MacKenzie Gore at the trade deadline.
Still under contract through 2027, Gore was kept under lock and key in the end. But Washington fielding offers this early in Gore's career is a sign of what's to come. The Nats aren't big spenders and Gore, when the winte of '27 does roll around, will immediately become one of the most sought-after free agents in MLB. Absent an extension between now and then, it's not a matter of if the Nationals will trade him. It's when.
Gore has been up and down in his fouth MLB season, but he still has a 3.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 148 strikeouts in 123.0 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw misses bats like crazy with high-90s heat and a vicious curveball. Once a cornerstone of the Juan Soto return package, Gore could be the next Washington star spun into high-level prospects.
SS Jacob Wilson, Athletics
The Athletics made easily the most unexpected trade of the deadline, shipping Mason Miller and J.P. Sears to San Diego for a package centered on 18-year-old SS Leo De Vries, the No. 3 overall prospect in MLB. While his age makes it sound like De Vries might be half a decade away from contributing in the big leagues, he's a potentially generational talent putting up huge numbers against pro competition. He could crack the A's roster before he's legally allowed to drink in the U.S.
With De Vries now the centerpiece of the A's future, one can't help but wonder what the future holds for All-Star Jacob Wilson. The rookie is already one of MLB's very best at a premium position. He's also under contract through 2030, so how can we even think about a trade? Well, De Vries will complicate the positional hierarchy sooner than you think. It's also fair to wonder how well Wilson's unique offensive profile will age.
The 23-year-old almost exclusively hits for contact. He has a short, compact swing and he's willing to take a hack at just about every pitch. He racks up singles and gets on base a ton, almost never striking out or drawing walks. But Wilson lacks power and his struggles driving the ball could harm his long-term trajectory.
So, might the A's attempt to sell high and move off of a one-day expensive player in order to expedite De Vries' ascent at shortstop? Knowing how the Athletics tend to do business, we can't rule it out.
OF Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
After toiling in a deep Baltimore Orioles farm system for a few years, Kyle Stowers has broken through with the Miami Marlins, earning his first All-Star bid. The power-hitting outfielder has a .943 OPS and 157 OPS+ with 25 home runs and 71 RBI in 359 at-bats this season. Miami's success (at least relative to expectations) has flown under the radar this season, but Stowers is unironically one of the very best hitters in MLB right now. Only 27 years old and under contract through 2029, that makes him extremely valuable.
So why would Miami trade him? Well, for all the same reasons listed for Skenes, Gore and Wilson. The Marlins just don't pay guys anymore. This is a cheap organization obsessed with skirting the tax and building "sustainably" through the farm system. Stowers, if he keeps his current pace, might want an extension that will never come. Or the Marlins just might bite the inevitable bullet before 2029 and trade him while his value is highest.
Miami has a long history of cycling through budding stars and trading them before the financial price spikes. Stowers wasn't a huge topic of conversation at the 2025 deadline, but it's only a matter of time until teams start throwing touted prospects at Miami in hopes that their fledgling front office takes the bait. Especially if Miami has a down year in the near future.
Stowers is solid in the field and remarkably productive across the board as a hitter. He strikes out a lot, but his slugging — combined with a high average, a high walk rate and value on the base paths — makes him future trade bait for the Marlins.