Picture this: you’re throwing absolute gems on the mound, striking out batters left and right with a sub-2.00 ERA, yet somehow you’re sitting at 4-8 on the season. Welcome to Paul Skenes’ nightmare, where excellence meets futility in the most Pittsburgh Pirates way possible. What’s more frustrating than being the best pitcher on the worst offensive team?

The rookie sensation has been nothing short of spectacular, boasting a microscopic 2.01 ERA with 131 strikeouts across 121 innings pitched. But here’s where it gets maddening – Skenes struck out six and ended a four-start winless streak recently, highlighting just how common these winless streaks have become. To be honest, it makes sense when your offense treats scoring runs like some kind of rare achievement. The Pirates’ anemic run support has turned what should be a Cy Young campaign into a masterclass in statistical suffering.

The numbers tell a story that would make any pitcher weep into their glove. Skenes has endured 13 winless starts this season despite allowing two or fewer runs – that’s not just bad luck, that’s systematic offensive incompetence. In his last eight starts, he’s permitted just nine earned runs with a 1.77 ERA but remained completely winless. Well, you know what they say about great pitching and terrible hitting? It’s like watching a Ferrari stuck in Pittsburgh traffic – all that horsepower going nowhere. This puts him dangerously close to some infamous records for futility despite individual excellence.

Even teammates have felt the sting of this organizational dysfunction, with similar struggles to plague other pitchers who’ve watched leads evaporate. The situation became so toxic that when Derek Shelton was eventually fired in May 2025, Skenes bluntly stated: “Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked. At the end of the day, we’re 12-26. Someone’s got to be held accountable.” The ace didn’t mince words about the team’s failures. This perfectly encapsulates a season where individual brilliance got swallowed by collective organizational failure. Yet despite all this chaos, the Pirates have one thing they’re absolutely certain about.

Pirates refuse all Paul Skenes trade inquiries

But here’s where the plot thickens – despite all this dysfunction, the Pirates aren’t budging an inch for their ace. The message from Pittsburgh couldn’t be clearer: Paul Skenes isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many games they continue to waste.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, when a team recently inquired about the young ace, the Pirates’ response was swift and definitive—a deal “is not happening.” Back in May, Heyman reported a similar conversation where a Pirates executive delivered an even more emphatic “no way, no chance, no how” when asked about potentially moving their prized pitcher.

And honestly, who can blame them for digging in their heels? Skenes has been dominant this season, posting that league-leading 2.01 ERA across 20 starts while striking out 131 batters in 121 innings. The kid’s already a two-time All-Star at just 23 years old, with 301 strikeouts and Rookie of the Year hardware under his belt.

Here’s the thing, though: with Skenes under team control through 2029 and potentially heading toward a record-breaking payday, the Pirates are betting big on building around him rather than cashing out. Whether they can follow through on that promise remains the million-dollar question when your ace can’t even get a win despite throwing gems every fifth day.