Alex Strumpf recently spoke with Paul Skenes, looking for insight on how Skenes feels being the face of the Pirates' franchise. Skenes avoided the question, and in true face of the franchise form, he offered his thoughts on where he thinks the Pirates' focus needs to be, with an ode to the fans being owed something special.
Leaving Skenes disgruntled in Pittsburgh over time would be perhaps the biggest facepalm in the history of Pirates baseball. For the 2025, the Pirates still look to remain nowhere near a playoff spot, according to Pecota projections. Although the Pirates have three top-100 prospects nearly MLB-readiness, ownership must supplement this roster with a couple more bonified studs. Having Skenes alone indicates it's time for the front office to put its foot on the gas and accelerate its rebuild.
Skenes is not only the face of the Pirates franchise but has also become the ace of MLB. After crushing the Rookie of the Year Award a season ago, Skenes will have his sights set on his first Cy Young, and if he does anything close to what he saw in his rookie campaign, it should provide no reason why that goal shouldn't be unattainable. No pitcher has more hype going into 2025 than Skenes.
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Pittsburgh must realize the time is now to build a contender
With Skenes in the mix for at least the next five seasons, the Pirates need to look at a playoff window and not hold back. Skenes is a generational pitcher, and would be the centerpiece of any contending playoff team, let alone the Pirates. Still, the Pirates' payroll of just over $112 million begs the question of how committed to winning team owner Bob Nutting is.
It's been 10 years since the Pirates were in the playoffs. Still, Pirates attendance at PNC Park has increased by nearly 500,000 in the past two seasons. It's no coincidence that in those past two seasons, the Pirates were a better team than 2022's iteration, which saw Pittsburgh only win 62 games.
Money starts flowing when this team begins showing signs of life. Putting a winning product on the field is good for baseball but also for the city of Pittsburgh, which could take advantage of the NL Central if Nutting flexed his financial might.