Pirates have the worst possible plan to build for future around Paul Skenes

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 15-23 since the calendar flipped to August. Once on the postseason bubble, the Steel City squad now sits dead last in the once-competitive NL Central, a far cry from the surging Chicago Cubs in second place. There has been much to blame for Pittsburgh's downturn, but you won't find a single finger pointed at rookie pitcher Paul Skenes.

While Skenes didn't make his MLB debut until May, the 22-year-old has mounted a compelling case for both NL Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young award. He's 10-2 through 20 starts and 120.0 innings with a 2.10 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Skenes has 151 punch-outs to his name and a strikeout rate in the 95th percentile.

There hasn't been a more dominant pitching force in the National League on balance. The only case against Skenes in the awards race — and sure, it's a valid one — is time. Chris Sale, the presumed Cy Young favorite, has 166.2 innings under his belt this season.

Despite Skenes' sustained success, however, the Pirates' season has tumbled down the drain in unceremonious fashion. The offense just isn't where in needs to be and the bullpen behind Pittsburgh's excellent starting rotation leaves much to be desired. With Skenes assuredly on a pitch count down the stretch, most Pirates fans are ready to look ahead to next season, when change is sure to come.

Well, pump the breaks, folks. Because the Pirates may be more stuck in their ways than initially thought.

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Pirates 'fully expect' Derek Shelton to manage team in 2025

Just this week, USA Today's Bob Nigthengale reported that Pittsburgh is "more likely" to fire manager Derek Shelton than GM Ben Cherington. Plenty of fans would prefer wholesale change across the board, but hey, a new voice in the clubhouse works. Unfortunately, Cherington — supposedly safe in his own job, judging from Nightengale's intel — tossed cold water on the prospect of a new manager leading the Pirates in 2025.

"I think there’s a lot to the job I believe he does really, really well, and I also believe he works his tail off to continue to improve in a number of ways," Cherington told the Pirates' official website. "Seeing that, I believe he’s the right person to manage this team in 2025, so I fully expect that will happen."

We have seen plenty of midseason quotes age poorly in the past, but Pittsburgh is laying the groundwork for Shelton to remain in his current position next season. That makes it a bit harder to get optimistic about the Pirates' outlook, especially if Cherington stays in the GM chair. It's difficult to build faith in Cherington's ability to construct a roster and it's doubly difficult to muster faith in Shelton's abillity to manage it to its full potential. Something has to give eventually, but true foundational change may be another disappointing season or two away.

Shelton has his supporters within the fanbase, but woeful bullpen mismanagement and a stark lack of accountability has made him a popular (and justifiable) scapegoat for the Pirates' collapse. Poor late-game execution was a hallmark of Pittsburgh's god-awful August, which is a telltale sign of ineffective management.

Paul Skenes will continue to do Paul Skenes things. Barring injury, that much is a given. What the Pirates cannot afford to do, however, is fumble the roster and the decisions around him. Both Skenes and Pittsburgh are already on the clock — there's no way the Pirates pay Skenes at the end of his rookie deal — so there is pressure to win as early and often as possible while the former No. 1 pick is still in town.