1 of 5 | Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes logged an MLB-best 1.97 ERA over 32 starts last season. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
Pitcher Paul Skenes said he remains committed to winning a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates when asked about his alleged desire for a trade to the New York Yankees.
Skenes made the comments Wednesday to reporters after he won National League Cy Young Award honors for the first time.
A report surfaced earlier Wednesday, with one of his Pirates teammates telling NJ Advance Media that Skenes has said multiple times that he is hoping for a trade and wants to play for the Yankees.
Skenes said he was shown an X post and received text messages about Wednesday’s report, but “didn’t think much about it.”
“I don’t know where that came from,” Skenes said. “I don’t know the reporter. I don’t know the player that supposedly said that. But the goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”
Skenes, 23, went 10-10 with an MLB-best 1.97 ERA over 32 starts this season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts in 2024, en route to National League Rookie of the Year honors and his first of two All-Star selections.
The star right-handed pitcher is arbitration eligible in 2027 and can become a free agent in 2030. Despite Skenes’ success, the Pirates went 76-86 in 2024 and 71-91 in 2025.
The Pirates made the playoffs just three times over the last 33 years, but Skenes said he hopes to be part of a franchise revival.
“I’m on the Pirates,” Skenes said. “My goal is to win with the Pirates. I love the city of Pittsburgh. The fans are hungry to have a winner in Pittsburgh and I want to be part of the group that did that.”
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters Tuesday at the MLB meetings in Las Vegas that the team will not trade Skenes this off-season.
Pirates pitchers and catchers will report to spring training in February. Skenes is to represent Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will be held March 5 to 17.
