Paul Skenes might be getting what he wished for. Well, several big names are dominating this year’s offseason, and the top contenders are gearing up to spend big. However, the real spotlight might actually be somewhere unexpected — Philadelphia. Yes, because the buzz is that the Pirates are finally ready to break out of their shell and push hard in free agency. And the most surprising twist so far?

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Pittsburgh is going after Kyle Schwarber. Yes, who just blasted 56 HRs and racked up 187 over four seasons in Philly before hitting free agency. So with all this new energy around the Pirates, fans are definitely going to be interested in what’s being said on Foul Territory about their chances heading into 2026.

“I love that the Pirates are willing to go out and bolster their offense because I’ve been hoping for this for years now, and they have the pitching staff…. They’re going to be in the market for meaningful offense, and maybe it gets to the point where we can talk about them being a playoff team,” a snapshot of the latest episode of Foul Territory reflects the renewed hope about the Pirates.

Notably, Pirates owner Bob Nutting has long been accused of not investing enough in the team. Season after season, the Pirates are staying as basement dwellers in the division.

The Pirates were nowhere to be seen around free agency. Their last free-agent signing was Ivan Nova back in 2016. Result?

Despite having a Cy Young-worthy arm like Paul Skenes, who finished this year with a 1.97 ERA and 216 SOs, the Pirates failed to make any impact.

Now, amid the calls to Nutting to build a roster around Skenes, he might have finally listened to the chorus. “We need to win more games and believe we have some flexibility to pursue some things in free agency and trades,” Cherington said.

So yes, the team is finally making some moves and could meet Skenes’ wishes.

“I’m on the Pirates. My goal is to win with the Pirates,” Skenes said. Now, bringing up Schwarber could enhance their offense.

And with the pitching division headed by Skenes and Keller, a good turnaround season could be expected, if not a World Series!!!

A lot of rebuilds are required to make Skenes’ wish come true

No matter how the Pirates have performed over the last few years, they still have some of the best prospects in the league. Not to forget, Paul Skenes was a part of the same supply chain.

Well, one of the most exciting prospects in the Pirates’ system right now is Esmerlyn Valdez. He’s been tearing up the Arizona Fall League and has put together a strong season between Greensboro and Altoona.

Thus making him an obvious choice to protect before the deadline. Then there are Antwone Kelly, Wilber Dotel, and Brandon Bidois…

All three flashed enough talent to be in that conversation as well. For instance, Bidois had an insane hitless streak… Kelly put up a 3.02 ERA across two levels, and Dotel touched triple digits on the radar gun.

Kelly and Dotel even cracked Baseball America’s updated top 10 prospects list for the organization.

So, with Paul Skenes leading the way and this wave of young arms coming in behind him, the Pirates’ pitching might actually be strong enough to push them into the postseason.

As for the offense, adding Kyle Schwarber would plug a few holes. But because he’d take up such a big chunk of the payroll, it’s unlikely they’d be able to add many other dependable bats. Still, the Pirates finally seem to be making real moves. That alone brings Skenes a step closer to living out his dream.