The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted another Paul Skenes masterclass. Sadly, the only way Skenes is guaranteed a win these days is a perfect game. It doesn't matter what lineup card Don Kelly puts out there. It doesn't matter if Ben Cherington calls up the Bucs best offensive prospect – and they won't just yet, don't you worry – Pittsburgh is a waste of time for Skenes.
I would never suggest the Pirates trade Skenes away. I'm not that stupid, and neither are the Pirates. Bob Nutting knows that the majority of his money comes from Skenes merchandise and ticket price when he pitches. Skenes is among the best starting pitchers in MLB, and despite his 3-5 record as of Sunday, he is among the frontrunners for NL Cy Young this season.
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Pirates fans should be depressed about Paul Skenes latest start
Skenes technically threw his first complete game on Sunday. That's what makes his career-best start all the more frustrating for Pirates fans. The lineup can't provide for Skenes, or any pitcher for that matter. However, this is especially true about Skenes, who has been one of the best pitchers in MLB for the first 1.5 months of the season. Yet, Pittsburgh has lost seven of his starts already.
Skenes reaction says it all. He has every right to be upset. MLB insiders have already started playing into the narrative that Skenes should force his way out of Pittsburgh, or that a trade from the Pirates is inevitable. Thankfully for Nutting and Co., the earliest Skenes can be a free agent is 2030. Assuming he deals with any injuries in the process, or the Pirates make him an extension offer early, then perhaps said media ought to back off some.
I have endless respect for insiders like Jeff Passan, for example, but the Pirates have little reason to trade Skenes at this point. Pittsburgh's situation is depressing, don't get me wrong, but a lot can change in five years. If Bob Nutting hires the right general manager after Cherington, then perhaps the Pirates can follow the correct path to small-market competitiveness. Right now, they are far from it.
Skenes has said all the right things since Derek Shelton was fired. Don Kelly replace Shelton, and has at the very least gone to bat for his team early. What Skenes has said – and can do – is prove he can be a leader on a losing team. It'll increase his value on the open market and benefit the Pirates in the short term.
Yet, that doesn't make Pittsburgh's problems any less depressing.