Paul Skenes is a generational talent whose pitching abilities are being wasted with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Owner Bob Nutting and the front office failed to build around him after a historic rookie season, and the team remains mired in the National League Central cellar.
While the Pirates won’t trade Skenes this year, it’s a matter of when, not if, they part with the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. Skenes isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2027 and won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season — when he’s only 27.
Here’s what blockbuster trade packages would look like for Skenes from five contenders.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgers receive: Paul Skenes
Pirates receive: C/OF Dalton Rushing (No. 1 prospect, 15th overall), OF Josue De Paula (No. 2 prospect, 33rd overall), OF Zyhir Hope (No. 3 prospect, 45th overall), and P River Ryan (No. 9 prospect)
Imagine a rotation of Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. It seems unfair, but the Dodgers would surrender a massive haul. Rushing was recently called up to the big leagues, while 19-year-old De Paula might make his debut next year. Hope has an .893 OPS and six home runs in High-A. Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss most, if not all, of 2025, but when healthy he can hit triple digits.
New York Mets
Mets receive: Paul Skenes
Pirates receive: IF Luisangel Acuna, SS/OF Jett Williams (No. 1 prospect, 51st overall), P Brandon Sproat (No. 2 prospect, 68th overall), and P Jonah Tong (No. 4 prospect)
Mets owner Steve Cohen would surely pursue any trade talks for a pitcher like Skenes, who would be their top ace since Jacob deGrom. The Mets would pay a heavy price, parting with young infielder Acuna and adding two valuable arms to their system in Sproat and Tong, who has been compared to Tim Lincecum. Williams, who has a .905 OPS in Double-A at the age of 21, could be Pittsburgh’s shortstop of the future.
Boston Red Sox
Red Sox receive: Paul Skenes
Pirates receive: OF Roman Anthony (No. 1 prospect, 1st overall), IF Franklin Arias (No. 3 prospect, 57th overall), OF Jhostynxon Garcia (No. 5 prospect)
Skenes would form a dynamic duo with Garrett Crochet in Boston’s rotation, but the Red Sox would surrender the top prospect in baseball — Roman Anthony, who has been destroying Triple-A pitching and is on the cusp of the big leagues. Boston would also lose promising prospects in Arias and Garcia, known as “The Password” due to his first name.
Seattle Mariners
Mariners receive: Paul Skenes
Pirates receive: P Bryan Woo, IF Colt Emerson (No. 1 prospect, 19th overall), IF Cole Young (No. 3 prospect, 48th overall) and C Harry Ford (No. 5 prospect, 67th overall)
Seattle’s pitching staff is already elite, but adding Skenes would be otherworldly. However, the Mariners would surrender one of their top rotation arms in Woo — who is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA, 137 ERA+, and a minuscule 0.867 WHIP in nine starts. With their deep prospect pool, they would also lose infielders Emerson (.821 OPS in three minor league seasons) and Young (.809 OPS in four minor league seasons) plus catcher Ford (.825 OPS in five minor league seasons).
Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies receive: Paul Skenes
Pirates receive: P Andrew Painter (No. 1 prospect, 5th overall), OF Justin Crawford (No. 3 prospect, 56th overall), C Eduardo Tait (No. 4 prospect, 77th overall) and P Mick Abel (No. 8 prospect)
A duo of Skenes and Zack Wheeler at the top of the Phillies rotation would instantly become the best 1-2 combination in baseball. But Philadelphia would surrender some key pieces, most notably Painter, baseball’s fifth-ranked prospect. The Phillies would also send Crawford (.812 OPS in four minor league seasons), Tait (.855 in three minor league seasons), and Abel, who the Pirates saw up close when he went six innings and struck out nine in his MLB debut.
