Paul Skenes' first campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't have gone much better. He was must-watch television from start to finish, compiling a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts across 133.0 innings. The Pirates carefully managed his workload, but the 22-year-old was, pound-for-pound, probably the best pitcher in MLB.
The future is exceedingly bright for Skenes, but it remains to be seen if the Pirates can actually build a contender around him. Bob Nutting is a notoriously cheap owner and Pittsburgh's offense, which crumbled down the stretch in 2024, has not seen any meaningful upgrades ahead of the 2025 season. There is still time, but we know how things work in Pittsburgh. Skenes will be fighting an uphill battle from the jump.
We are still a few years out from Skenes' contract negotiations, but there is already a palpable disconnect between the young phenom and Pittsburgh's chronically unambitious front office. When asked recently about a future long-term deal with the Pirates, Skenes sidestepped the question.
"I haven’t given it too much thought."
Now, we are seeing more signs, however small, of Skenes' limited faith in the Pirates organization.
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 between now and the MLB offseason.
Paul Skenes doesn't seem to trust the Pirates very much
The hard-throwing righty has spent his offseason training in Charlotte. Skenes also got in touch with LSU's analytics department to "run some numbers" on Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale, which gave him tangible areas of improvement to work toward.
"After the season was over, I had one of the analysts at LSU run some numbers for me on Skubal, Sale and then me," he told The Athletic ($). "They pretty much led in just about every category, which shows that is how you pitch at a very high level. That’s how you win those awards, winning the first two out of three pitches, strike percentage, first-pitch strike percentage, stuff like that. Those are the process-oriented goals I’m focusing on this year a little bit more."
That is all great if you're a Pirates fan. Skenes has one of the best work ethics in baseball, which explains his exemplary stuff and remarkable poise. He is focused on the right things this offseason, which should translate to another dominant campaign in 2025.
It is, however, worth noting that Skenes went to LSU to get the analytics on Skubal and Sale, rather than letting the Pirates handle those calculations in-house. It's not uncommon for athletes to return to their alma maters and to sustain relationships with those programs, but the Pirates have statisticians on staff. Every MLB club does. For Skenes' offseason regimen to feel so disconnected from the organization is understandably disconcerting for those already worried about his long-term commitment to PGH.
This probably isn't worth reading too far into, but the primary feeling among Pittsburgh fans right now is futility. We all know how this ends, yeah? With how the MLB marketplace is shifting, Skenes' next contract could balloon north of $300 million, maybe even $400 million in free agency, assuming he stays healthy. The next CBA negotiations could shift those projections a bit, but Skenes is going to be expensive — point blank. The Pirates have never spent on that level, and Skenes is unlikely to provide a substantial hometown discount.
Just read the signs. They're not great, unless you're the Dodgers, Mets, or Yankees.