Fresh off 6.1 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Paul Skenes once again looks like the best pitcher in MLB. He has barely scratched the surface of his second big-league season, but the Pittsburgh Pirates' star hurler continues to outwit and overpower hitters on a weekly basis.
And yet, the Pirates are on the clock, and recent comments from Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington inadvertently reminded fans of how fleeting this all could be.
Skenes should have a long and successful career ahead of him. At 22 years old, he's throwing triple-digit heat and still adding new wrinkles to his arsenal. The Pirates are a lost cause, currently dead last in the NL Central at 11-18, but Skenes at least offers the fanbase hope for the future — or a source of entertainment amid the interminable disappointment.
Bob Nutting does not spend, which means as soon as Skenes hits free agency, he's a candidate to leave for a heftier paycheck. When asked about a big-league comparison for Skenes' work ethic and constant hunger for self-improvement, Cherington pointed to Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts.
“Comparisons are really dangerous," Cherington told Sports Illustrated. "But I can make this one because it’s less about the players but more about the people. This is what I remember about Mookie Betts. A combination of incredibly high standards, a willingness to work for those, but a deep humility in how they go about their work.”
You can smell the irony.
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Pirates GM Ben Cherington compares Paul Skenes to Mookie Betts in comically aloof interview
The Boston Red Sox infamously traded Mookie Betts, a World Series champion and fan favorite, instead of paying him his worth. He went to the Dodgers, where he substantially outperformed Boston's meager return package, inked a massive $365 million extension and won a second World Series ring (in what could be the first of many title runs with the high-rolling Dodgers).
Cherington isn't trying to invoke Skenes' tumultuous future with this comp, but one can't help but notice the parallels. Skenes will put up historic numbers in Pittsburgh, but what happens when his contract runs out? Many view his hometown Dodgers as the logical endpoint in free agency, as L.A. is never short on cash and Skenes seems destined for baseball's grandest stage. There's a world in which Skenes and Betts are teammates down the road.
Even if it's not the Dodgers, all signs point to Skenes ending up with a new team once his cycle of arbitration runs out. The Pirates can barely afford to field a competent lineup and bullpen, much less spend the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to extend a star of Skenes' magnitude.
The Sports Illustrated profile paints an incredible portrait of Skenes' hard work and determination. While injuries are becoming all too common for high-velocity pitchers, Skenes' willingness to attack his workouts and deploy preemptive measures against future injury could give him an unusually long shelf life.
He's a special person, as well as a special player, and therein lies the risk for Pittsburgh. Cherington is trying to praise Skenes, but he may have accidentally told the future instead.