Paul Skenes, the young ace pitcher who has quickly become one of baseball’s brightest stars, is giving Pittsburgh fans a reason to watch the Pirates again.
At just 22, Skenes dazzles on the mound, leaving hitters bewildered with his electric pitching dominance.
But despite his brilliance, several MLB analysts believe the Pirates might benefit more by trading him now rather than holding on.
With Skenes rapidly outgrowing his rookie contract, his future salary demands will be enormous – affordable only to a handful of teams.
This reality puts the Pirates’ management in a tough spot. (Not that they’re victims by any means.)
Former Pirates pitcher Dan Plesac, now an analyst on the MLB Network, is very familiar with the franchise. He weighed in on the situation during a recent podcast with Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds.
Plesac is far from alone with his take – and the Pirates’ ownership situation adds to the uncertainty.
Owner Bob Nutting, with a net worth estimated above $1 billion, is widely perceived as reluctant to invest heavily in the team.
Meanwhile, Skenes continues to pitch impressively despite the team’s poor performance and almost non-existent run support.
Mark Madden of TribLive.com spoke bluntly about the Pirates’ struggles on his “Madden Monday” podcast.
“This isn’t fixable. You can’t call up (pitcher) Bubba Chandler and suddenly they’re good,” Madden said. “You can’t switch this guy to that position, or move around the batting order, and they’re suddenly going to find the magic formula. This team legitimately, historically, stinks.”
Madden also pointed to the lack of offensive support for Skenes, blaming ownership for not increasing payroll to build a better lineup around the pitcher.
“He was totally dominant, and the Pirates let him down again,” Madden said. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a pitcher this dominant on a team this bad. I’d have to go back to 1972. The Phillies. Steve Carlton won 27 games for a last-place team.”
“They’ve cheated him. They’ve cheated themselves. They’ve cheated all of us. I understand (Nutting) not wanting to spend money,” Madden continued.
“He wants to exploit and steal and do everything bad he can in the name of profit. But the one time to spend was the three solid years – or thereabouts – (when) you’ve got this guy, and he won’t even do that.”
Reflecting on the situation, Madden wasn’t shy about what he’d do if he were Skenes.
“If I were him, I’d ask out. I’d want a trade right now. I’d want a trade at the deadline,” Madden said. “If I were him, I’d feel embarrassed – and used – to be on a team this bad.”
For the Pirates, the hard truth may be that holding on to their brightest star isn’t sustainable.
You feel terrible for Pittsburgh fans, but it’s hard to imagine the organization keeping Skenes in the long-haul. Unfortunately, that’s just not how they do business.
Trading Skenes for a package of promising prospects could be the best way to build toward a more competitive future – even if it means saying goodbye to the player who has brought new hope to the Pirates.
What are your thoughts on the Skenes situation? … What should the Pirates do???
