The Pittsburgh Pirates boast one of the league's most valuable and generational gems in pitcher Paul Skenes, but the team's woeful record in the 2025 season has inevitably caused the rumor mill to churn.
Amid rampant speculation over whether the Pirates would actually deal their ace, Skenes himself addressed the rumors following the Pirates' 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
"When I got drafted, I came in with the intention of winning a World Series here. That hasn’t changed. I don’t think my days here are numbered by any means," Skenes said, via Jason Mackey.
A strong statement from the reigning National League Rookie of the Year—and a decisive one that does its best to silence all the outside noise.
Skenes also responded to Pirates GM Ben Cherington's recent quote on standing firm in their stance to keep the 22-year-old star. "No, it's not part of the conversation at all," Cherington said Thursday when asked if the team has considered a trade.
"It doesn't affect anything," Skenes told the Associated Press of Cherington's comments on Friday. "Anybody can play GM."
"I don't expect it to happen," continued Skenes. "[But Cherington] is going to look out for what's best for the Pirates. If he feels [trading me] is the right way to go, then he feels that's the right way to go. But you know, I have to pitch well, that's the bottom line."
Skenes has been pitching to the exquisite tune of a 2.36 ERA through 11 starts so far, yet he's also part of an offensively weak Pirates team that ranks last in the league with 157 runs. The Pirates (18-34) are currently down in the weeds hanging around a Colorado Rockies team that is off to the league's worst 50-game start in over a century.
It's an undeniable fact that a player of Skenes's caliber deserves better. The Pirates GM knows it, and Skenes likely knows it, too.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pirates’ Paul Skenes Addresses Recent Trade Buzz for First Time.