Paul Skenes takes first step to joining Dodgers all thanks to Bob Nutting

In just over half a season, Paul Skenes solidified himself as perhaps the most explosive pitcher in the National League. Skenes could backslide in Pittsburgh depending on his coaching staff and workload, but the Pirates were extremely careful with him last season, keeping the LSU product on a strict innings limit.

Skenes Day became must-see television in Pittsburgh, even though the rest of the Pirates didn't provide much hope. The Pirates have some talented young pieces but have refused to add much in free agency or via trade this winter, as has been the pattern for the last few years despite management's insistence that their goal is to build a winner. The Bucs are a small-market team, which limits their financial resources. However, they also make hundreds of millions in revenue most seasons and refuse to invest much of it in the on-field product.

A brief three-year run in the mid-2010's which saw the Pirates make the NL Wild Card Game in each of those seasons brought excitement back to PNC Park, but it quickly evaporated because the front office was hamstrung by ownership, and used their limited resources on the wrong pieces. The team has been rebuilding ever since, and despite a promising rotation with Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, don't look much closer to winning than they were in 2024.

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Paul Skenes isn't ready to commit to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and for good reason

Skenes isn't scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2030 season, so the Pirates have some time to prove to him that Pittsburgh is a place he can win big both on and off the field, but thus far whatever they're pitching isn't working. Skenes and social media sensation Livvy Dunne are the toast of the town and baseball when he's performing well, but that only goes so far.

If Skenes cannot contend for NL Central crowns and pitch in the playoffs with the Pirates, he will eventually find a new home. Heck, when he was asked about his future on Sunday, Skenes said he hadn't given it much thought, which is baseball code for let's wait and see. That, typically, is not the lingo players use when they're excited about the organization they play for.

“The group that we have from last year is going to be better I think than we were last year,” Skenes said. “We’re going to have more experience. I don’t think you can overstate the impact that coaches can have on it, too, so we made some good additions there. It’s not a complicated thing. It’s hard to do, but it’s not complicated.”

The Pirates could very well be better, but that doesn't guarantee them a playoff spot in a crowded National League. Pittsburgh will never be the Dodgers, and no one is asking them to be. What Pirates fans do want is an owner who gives a damn and keeps homegrown stars around long-term. Nutting can't come close to guaranteeing such a thing with Skenes.