Pittsburgh Pirates fans might be miserable watching their 14-27 ballclub, but every fifth day, they get to watch arguably the best pitcher on the planet right now, Paul Skenes, take the ball. Whether the team will win when he starts is up in the air due to their anemic offense and their lackluster bullpen, but when Skenes is on the mound, it is must-see TV. He's set to take the ball in Monday's series opener against the New York Mets. While Skenes taking the ball is normally a moment of rare excitement for Pirates fans, it's tough for everyone to be completely happy watching Skenes in the bright lights.
It's no secret that a big reason why the Pirates are the mess that they are currently is because of owner Bob Nutting. His refusal to spend has hurt the Pirates for years, and the pain has never been worse than right now.
Watching Skenes pitch against a team that is willing to spend just about whatever it takes to win can't be easy for Pirates fans.
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Pirates fans can envision Paul Skenes slipping away every time he faces big market teams
What's especially frustrating is that the Pirates have the makings of a team that can conceivably compete with just some money spent. They have an abundance of starting pitching talent led by Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, and even top prospect Bubba Chandler, who is on the cusp of making his MLB debut. They have talented hitters like Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, but nobody behind them. Building a bullpen doesn't cost too much, but the Pirates have refused to invest in theirs.
With the addition of a couple of hitters and a couple of relievers, this Pirates team could, at the very least, be respectable. Instead, what they have is a team that is among the worst in the league and has already gotten its manager fired.
Watching one of their few promising players, Skenes, face a team that will almost certainly throw buckets of money at him is bittersweet. It will objectively be cool to see Skenes match up against a lineup consisting of Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso. It will also be frightening knowing he could end up there as soon as he hits free agency, if not before. If it isn't the Mets, it could be a different big market team that snatches him up.
Pirates fans get to enjoy Skenes for now, but assuming he continues to perform like one of the best pitchers in the game, the odds of them being able to afford him when he hits free agency are slim to none. Big market teams will be salivating knowing that they can get a pitcher of his talent for nothing other than money, and Nutting's biggest fear is spending the money that'll be needed to keep him around.
Pirates fans don't want to think about Skenes leaving, but every time he faces a big market team like the Mets, it's hard for them not to fear the worst, making it tougher to enjoy watching him face those big money clubs.