Things have been better for the Pittsburgh Pirates. While they did take two of three at home over my beloved Atlanta Braves, the Buccos just fired their long-time manager Derek Shelton after a brutally slow start. Pittsburgh is not a playoff-caliber team this season, but their 14-28 record through 42 games is far worse than most of us expected. This team already has its star pitcher in Paul Skenes.
While much has been made about will he leave or will the Pirates trade him, there are two things working in Pittsburgh's favor. The first is Skenes is only entering his second big-league season. He does not become arbitration eligible until the 2027 offseason. The second is that another great pitcher is coming down the pipeline in Bubba Chandler. He is crushing it at Triple-A Indianapolis.
So in theory, the dynamic duo of Skenes and Chandler can buoy the Buccos' rotation for years to come. We need to give it time to marinate. Don Kelly is only in his first week as the manager since taking over for his long-time boss in Shelton. Pittsburgh is not a team devoid of talent. Perhaps they could take a page out of what has made the Detroit Tigers turn it around so quickly under A.J. Hinch?
As long as Skenes and Chandler stay healthy, they could extend this team's competitive life cycle.
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Why moving on from Paul Skenes this soon would be bad for the Pirates
Pittsburgh took Skenes No. 1 overall out of LSU for a reason. Have you seen how the ball comes out of his hand?! He is as big as an ox and throws the ball like Paul Bunyan most certainly would have. Skenes is under contract with the Pirates for the next several season. The team has control over him through the 2029 season. By that point, we will know if he was able to change Pittsburgh's fortunes.
One of the best things going for professional sports is how each league goes about creating some levels of competitive balance. The NFL does a better job than all, but MLB does reward the worst teams with the best draft positioning. Pittsburgh will need to do a better job of paying and retaining its stars, but it starts and ends with more production on the field. Skenes only pitches every five days.
In my 35 years on this planet, the quickest way to turning it around in baseball is to have one great pitcher after another coming out of a stacked rotation. Being able to limit what the opposition can put across the plate on a nightly basis goes a long way towards the rest of the team catching up. A lights out bullpen is great. So are big bats. Foot speed and defense are nice, but it is all about the rotation.
Things may look bleak in Pittsburgh now, but Skenes and Chandler give this team a bright tomorrow.