It was another wasted year for Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have missed the playoffs for a tenth consecutive season and haven’t finished above .500 since 2019. And it doesn’t appear things will improve anytime soon with one of baseball’s cheapest owners in Bob Nutting, who hasn’t signed a free agent to a multi-year contract since Ivan Nova in 2016. So don’t expect the caliber of players like Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber and Bo Bichette in Pittsburgh in 2026.
Skenes will most likely win the National League Cy Young Award after already claiming NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. He leads all of baseball in ERA (2.03), pitcher’s bWAR (7.3), ERA+ (212), FIP (2.43) and home runs allowed per nine (0.5), while topping the NL in WHIP (0.958).
Contract Extension Questions Loom Large
Since Skenes is stuck in Pittsburgh, questions have constantly been raised about when the Pirates will trade him, given they most likely won’t be able to afford him when he hits free agency after the 2029 season.
Ahead of his final start of the season, Skenes was asked about potential contract extension talks with the organization.
“No. That’s not something I want to discuss during the season,” Skenes told reporters. “They haven’t brought anything up to me out of respect for that too. No discussions on that.”
It’s hard to imagine Skenes wanting to sign long-term in Pittsburgh until ownership and the front office prove they can field a winning team. The Pirates have a promising young pitching staff to build around with Skenes, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller, but their offense leaves much to be desired.
They don’t have a single 20-home-run hitter, have scored the fewest runs in baseball (548) and have the lowest OPS (.652).
With Nutting in charge, that reality isn’t changing.
