Paul Skenes high bar takes an immediate hit thanks to Pirates injury and Bob Nutting

Every MLB fanbase (with a notable few exceptions) complains about how little their owners spend. Few are more justified in that criticism, however, than the Pittsburgh Pirates faithful.

Bob Nutting is the type of owner that is "ruining" baseball — or at least keeping a few teams perpetually tied to mediocrity as the coastal elites run up their tab and dominate the postseason on a perennial basis.

Paul Skenes is probably the most exciting individual talent in MLB right now. He's a total star, in full bloom from day one. The league still hasn't figured out his stuff. Yeah, he throws hard, but Skenes' pitches also move like a hot kernel of popcorn and seem to miss bats like dueling magnets.

He is a special talent, and he alone is enough to raise the spirits of a downtrodden fanbase. If Pirates fans dare to ask, "what would it be like if we operated like a real front office?," it's because Skenes gives them a clear path to contention in the NL Central. No division is more wide-open. All it would take is a few well-placed expenses for Nutting and the Pirates brass.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh will begin the 2025 campaign with the 24th-highest payroll in MLB. Two of the teams below them will spend this season in minor-league ballparks. One just finished with the worst record of all time. Another is the Miami Marlins. You get the point. Pittsburgh is keeping bad company.

Now, a troubling injury to Paul Skenes' fellow MLB sophomore, Jared Jones, leaves the Pirates in a bad spot.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Paul Skenes wants the Pirates to deliver for the fans, but Bob Nutting and Jared Jones' injury stand in the way

Jared Jones will be shut down for at least six weeks as he recovers from an elbow injury. He has no torn ligaments and won't require surgery, but Pittsburgh's No. 2 starter, at 23 years old, will need an extended recovery period. That kneecaps an already fragile rotation around Skenes, and puts Pittsburgh's competitive aspirations in peril.

Skenes has been vocal about what the Pirates should be aiming to accomplish in his second MLB season. He wants to deliver W's — not only for himself, but for the fans.

"I think we owe something to the city,” Skenes told MLB.com' Alex Stumpf (h/t Bucs Dugout). “We owe a lot to the city. It’s our job to go out and win for the city because this is bigger than all of us. There’s a reason why Cutch keeps coming back, and specifically to Pittsburgh. There’s something about this city. We saw it last summer. We’ve seen it in the videos of the Wild Card Game. I’m tired of watching them because it was a Wild Card Series. The bar needs to be set pretty high. Not taking anything from those guys. The fact that that’s a golden era of recent Pirates baseball, that needs to change. We owe it to the city."

This is great. Skenes is taking his responsibilities as franchise cornerstone seriously. He might not be in Pittsburgh for a long time given Nutting's spending habits, but he wants to put on a show and deliver for the fans while he's there.

Unfortunately, with Jones hurt and Nutting steadfastly refusing to break the bank (or even lightly tap it), it's hard to imagine this Pirates squad accomplishing much. Skenes is good for 15-20 wins if he's healthy, but what happens when he's not on the mound? Calling Pittsburgh's offense underwhelming would be the understatement of the century. The Pirates cannot rely solely on run prevention, especially when the bullpen and the back of their rotation leaves so much to be desired.

Hopefully all breaks right for the Pirates and that fanbase can celebrate a successful season, but we shouldn't hold our breath. Skenes will continue to deal with disappointment for as long as he's in the Steel City.