Former Player Urges Pirates to Trade Paul Skenes
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best players in baseball in right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes, but a former player thinks that moving on from him might be best for the franchise.
Skenes is still pre-arbitration, where players typically have less than three years of service time and will make around the MLB minimum, which is $760,000 for the 2025 season.
When these players get over three years of service time, but no more than six years, they become eligible for salary arbitration, if they don't have a contract for the following season.
This means that Skenes won't be a free agent until close to the next decade, but one former player thinks the Pirates should try and get the biggest trade haul ever in MLB history.
Erik Kratz, who had two stints with the Pirates in 2010 and 2016 and spent 11 seasons in the MLB, argued on the podcast "Foul Territory" that the Pirates, who aren't willing to spend, should see what other teams would be willing to give up for the superstar.
"Largest trade of all time," Kratz said. "He is a chandelier in a haunted house. You know the value of the chandelier and other teams. If you want to make an impact on this organization that will last for the next six years, which is why you fire your scouting department, different heads, you change different things, you're looking to shake it up.
"But that ain't the move that was pushing the Pirates across and right now, Paul Skenes might win 15 games a season for a 65 at-max, 70-win team. Go and see the value. Go and find it. Set a new bar. You have to do something new because you're not spending.
"So you don't have four years of control with him. You technically, in Pirate land, you have two and a half to three.
"Get something. Get something right now and change the bar."
Skenes has a 3-4 record in eight starts this season, but a 2.77 ERA over 48.2 innings pitched, with 47 strikeouts to 12 walks and an opposing batting average of .192.
His best performances came on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 2, where he allowed three hits and no earned runs, posting six strikeouts in a 4-2 win and then posting a season-high nine strikeouts over 6.1 innings and a career-high 108 pitches in a 3-0 victory over theLos Angeles Dodgerson April 25.
Skenes dominated in the 2024 season after getting called up on May 11, showing the baseball world that he could do it at the highest level.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings pitched, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
Skenes was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He is also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
He made the All-MLB First Team, won NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in the NL CY Young Award.
