What kind of face do you make when you fall on the wrong side of history? Well, just ask Paul Skenes. He’s used to making one pretty much every time the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the field. The latest—and perhaps most tell-tale—instance, though, came as the team lost 1-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 18. In a game where the 2024 Rookie of the Year allowed just three hits and one run over eight innings in his career-first complete game, his post-game expression said it all. While his teammates retreated to the clubhouse, the 22-year-old stood motionless, looking over the railings.

It’s obvious Skenes is very close to reaching his breaking point if he hasn’t already. And if it comes on the back of being the first pitcher in Pirates franchise history to have a start with 8+ IP, 1/0 R, 3 or fewer hits allowed and 9+ K and lose, the signs point toward a contract doom sooner than expected. Maybe a flash trade for the Pirates who are already notorious for their inability to sustain elite talent? Well, for the time being, all signs point squarely in that direction. Skenes might be headed in a path that the likes of Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes have already walked on. But, here’s the kicker:

Only asset-rich teams can tempt the Pirates to let go of Paul Skenes. And right now, the New York Yankees might not look like one. True that it would be a baseball fairy tale to experience Skenes playing for the Yanks, aiming for October glory. But unfortunately, they don’t have a suitable farm system anymore. A trade like Skenes comes with a hefty price. If you remember, the Yankees had already depleted their trade assets when they got Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres.

They traded 5 prospects to get Soto and also outfielder Trent Grisham. Right-handers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vásquez, along with catcher Kyle Higashioka, went to the Padres in this deal. While Juan Soto received $23 million in salary from San Diego, and reportedly earned over $30 million in arbitration from the Yankees.

Yes, it was a necessary move for a generational hitter; there’s no denying that. But it was rather a win-now attempt, which is now haunting the team as Soto signed with the New York Mets after just one year at the NYY. It’s almost like the Yankees gave all the chips away for free, having nothing to offer to the Pirates for Skenes. As heavy.com’s Sam Bernardi writes, “The Yankees’ acquiring Skenes would also reignite their “Evil Empire” billing in the most dramatic fashion possible. A trade, however unlikely it may seem, would require emptying the farm system for a generational pitcher like Skenes.”

But, if true, the Yankees would have certainly been one of the firsts to call the shots for the generational arm. After all, it’s Skenes, the young 22-year-old phenom built to dominate for years to come.

This 2025 season, Skenes sits with a 2.63 ERA across 54.2 innings. This league hasn’t seen a rookie like him in years. Last season, his ground ball rate was somewhere around a nasty 51.3%. Now, under Bob Nutting’s ownership approach, who is apparently okay being “mediocre” in the league and not making any effort to keep once-in-a-generation kinds of stars like Skenes, the Pirates should trade him before his contract ends and he becomes expensive. 

As per MLB insider Jeff Passan on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, “The Pirates, including 2025, have five years of club control before he reaches free agency. If they believe that they have absolutely no chance of signing him, then they should trade him. You can make the argument that they should trade him now, I’m not going to because I think the Pirates, with some of the players that they have coming up, they would have a chance to win if they were to go out and actually bring in some offensive players and sign some free agents.”

“But the truth is, there are teams that already are going to ask about Paul Skenes at the trade deadline this year. I don’t anticipate that he’s going to be moved. But, there’s a real argument to be made that the best thing for the Pittsburgh Pirates would be to move Paul Skenes while he has his most value. It’s a depressing reality.”

Having said that, when it comes to the Yankees, the idea of getting Skenes in Yankeeland is dead. Of Course, unless Brian Cashman is willing to lose young, promising pieces like Ben Rice, Jasson Dominguez, or Luis Gil. To say the least, it’s very unlikely to happen.

If not the Yankees, will Skenes land with the New York Mets?

Since the word out there is that Skenes could land with a big-budget team, it might occur to you whether the Mets, with one of the highest payrolls, will try to get Skenes’ elite arm in the lineup.

Skenes has arguably taken the league by storm. When he went up against the Mets on May 12, he praised the team even after getting dominated by them. Specifically, he contended the Mets’ core hitters trio – Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Juan Soto.

Skenes reportedly said that for the Mets, even the “bad days” are not actually bad. In fact, in his words, “Their slumps aren’t slumps.” Well, that’s true to an extent. According to Skenes, the Mets have promising players, and he admires them.

Contrary to that, the Pirates certainly cannot build a winning team for Skenes. Even if Skenes aces the pitching side, what about the other factors? With Nutting failing to invest in players, the Pirates are very unlikely to have the winning odds for the rest of the season.

And when it comes to the possibility of the Mets going for Skenes, that seems unlikely, too, just as it is for the Yankees. But that’s for different reasons. For now, the Mets will be focusing on developing their existing arms only. They had injury setbacks, but as their starters are returning to the pitching mound, the team seems more invested there.

So, while Skenes may have several potential suitors, the ONE is still under the shades. While he does see potential in the Mets’ hitters and their overall winning team attitude, no claims can be made for sure. Do you have any inference to draw there? We would love to hear from you…