Paul Skenes is good, and really good; we all know that. He appears dead-set on breaking every pitching record that has ever existed. It’s easy to believe so, given his major-best 1.92 ERA across 178 innings after combining for 160 1/3 last season. By Wednesday, he had recorded 11 starts in which he completed five innings without allowing a run. While the Pirates ace had finally secured a winning record, it’s certainly sad that it took until September 4. Now that the Pirates are once again losing embarrassingly, the domino effect has interrupted Paul Skenes’ Cy Young case. As frustrating as that is, it also brings a dilemma for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred now.

Apparently, Paul Skenes’ Cy Young case could be severely affected by the Pirates’ rotten performance. On its own, it’s not an issue if he secures the Cy Young award. However, it’s concerning that Manfred and MLB have allowed the Pirates’ ownership to continuously field uncompetitive and low-budget teams without any consequences.

Even other organizations like the Tampa Bay Rays or the Miami Marlins have faced no pressure to spend. On Wednesday, the Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles, dropping their already last-place record to 64-82.

In that game, the 23-year-old threw five scoreless innings and still didn’t get the win. You know the last time a hurler from a last-place team won the Cy Young Award was in 2010. It was Felix Hernandez from the Seattle Mariners, as per Stats Perform.

So, it is agreed that winning a Cy Young while playing for a last-place team is not impossible. However, it’s also a factor that Paul Skenes’ many elite starts have been wasted because of the Pirates’ offense. It explains why they rank last in the league with home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS.

This is the reason why their top ace is stuck with a 10-9 record. Now, when the Cy Young race comes to an end, Manfred could perhaps urge the Pirates subtly to free Skenes and trade him this off-season to save his prime.

Yankees reportedly inquired about Paul Skenes

As per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees made a call to the Pittsburgh Pirates for hurler Paul Skenes. However, the Pirates had no interest in moving him. It’s a loop; many clubs have tried to land on the National League Cy Young Award frontrunner this season.

Yet, the Pirates are neither ready to send him off nor to build a good offense around him. Reportedly, the Yankees were willing to go big this time. They were ready to put top prospects Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. on the table.

Yet, nothing materialized. According to Heyman, the Yankees were one of fewer than five teams that checked in. All of them knew the Pirates weren’t ready to entertain offers yet. The Yankees believed, as Heyman put it, “a phone call couldn’t hurt.”

Speaking realistically, the Pirates would consider dealing Paul Skenes if he’s on the same page that he won’t sign a long-term extension before free agency in 2029. Heyman also noted that with noticeable second-half improvements under interim skipper Don Kelly, the Pirates could extend Paul Skenes instead of trading him. However, is he willing to stay? We will have to wait to get on that.