MLB Insider Drops Shocking Details on Paul Skenes Trade Talks—What’s Really Going Down?

So, here’s the rub: Paul Skenes is tearing through his rookie season like a category five hurricane — 15 wins, a 2.03 ERA, and 247 strikeouts in just 35 starts. Pretty wild, right? Yet, as the Pirates flounder at the bottom of the National League standings (and let’s be honest, things look bleaker than a Monday morning after a Sunday full of bad plays), those pesky trade rumors start circling like vultures at a barbecue. But hold up—before you start drafting your “Skenes is gone” tweet, ESPN’s Jeff Passan dropped a truth bomb on SportsCenter: Pittsburgh’s not trading their golden arm anytime soon. Makes you wonder, can the Pirates actually build a contender around this young phenom, or are they destined to be the MLB’s version of that one friend who’s great at everything but never quite makes the team? Either way, keeping Skenes seems like the right gamble—for the fans, the franchise, and the game itself.

Paul Skenes is off to one of the best beginnings to a career for any pitcher in baseball history, as he is 15-8 with a 2.03 ERA and 247 strikeouts through his first 35 starts.

Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Pirates would have the worst record in the National League if the Colorado Rockies weren’t playing like a tee-ball team, so it was only a matter of time before trade rumors started to pile on to the turmoil.

In case the Pirates’ front office publicly shutting down the trade rumors wasn’t enough, ESPN insider Jeff Passan recently echoed those sentiments.

“Just to be clear, the Pirates have no intention of trading Paul Skenes at this point,” Passan said, via “SportsCenter.”

"Just to be clear, the Pirates have no intention of trading Paul Skenes at this point."@JeffPassan clears up Paul Skenes trade rumors on the @PatMcAfeeShow. pic.twitter.com/KH9QMMuahs

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 2, 2025

Skenes recently turned 23 years old and hasn’t even reached arbitration yet, so a pitcher of his caliber hitting the trade market could fetch one of the largest hauls in history.

That being said, it would be an impossible sell to an already frustrated fan base if the Pirates traded Skenes, who is one of the few bright spots on this awful team.

Pittsburgh’s issue remains the fact that ownership doesn’t seem to care enough, as the Pirates once again rank near the bottom in payroll, resulting in a bad offense failing to support one of the best starting rotations in baseball.

The Pirates need to go all in and build around Skenes by supporting him with impact bats, and it’s nice to at least hear that these trade rumors are being shut down immediately, because having him stay in Pittsburgh and potentially lead them back to prominence is the best possible outcome for the game as a whole.

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