Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates have largely met preseason expectations — at least on the surface.
Skenes, who only turned 23 in May, has an MLB-best 1.98 ERA in 173 innings and is the Cy Young favorite. The Pirates, meanwhile, entered Sept. 8 at 64-80 and hope to avoid their third 90-loss season in five years. Again, that aligns with their preseason expectations
In fairness to the Pirates, they've gone 52-54 under interim manager Don Kelly; Pittsburgh dismissed sixth-year manager Derek Shelton following a 12-26 start. The Pirates also deserve credit for holding their own against some of the sport’s top teams under Kelly, including taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox in late August and sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.
As of publication, the Pirates hadn’t announced whether Kelly will return in 2026 as the full-time manager. However, the Pirates need to make sure they include Skenes in all and any conversations regarding their next manager — and Skenes must be prepared to request a trade if the Pirates don’t seek his input.
Who should the Pittsburgh Pirates hire as their next manager?
Skenes is not only the Pirates’ best player, but he’s the sole bright spot for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record with one winning record since the start of 2016. In fact, Pittsburgh has four winning seasons and three playoff victories over the last 33 years. Outside of drafting Skenes No. 1 in 2023, whatever the Pirates have done over the last decade clearly isn’t working.
At this point, the Pirates have nothing to lose by asking Skenes’ thoughts on their next manager. Who cares that he’s a 23-year-old with two seasons under his belt? In fact, the Pirates should absolutely get Skenes involved if ownership moves on from top executive Ben Cherrington.
By no means are we saying Skenes should have the final say. At the same time, there is no reason not to at least see what Skenes thinks, especially about interim manager Don Kelly. Ownership might look at Pittsburgh’s performance under Kelly and decide they want to give him the full-time position. How would Skenes feel about that? Are there changes he believes Kelly should make to the coaching staff?
If the Pirates explore other coaching candidates, then they should inquire Skenes what he — and by extension, his teammates — wants in a next manager. Does the Pirates’ clubhouse want a hitting-oriented manager, or would they prefer someone with a pitching background? How would Skenes feel about Pittsburgh going after an experienced manager like Don Mattingly or Walt Weiss?
These are admittedly basic questions, but they’re ones that the Pirates need to discuss with Skenes. Pittsburgh has made it clear that they don’t intend to trade their ace anytime soon, despite the lofty haul they’d likely receive in return. If the Pirates truly intend to build around Skenes, they must show it by including him in the war room. Otherwise, Pittsburgh may as well put a giant “FOR SALE” sign on Skenes’ jersey.