Former Pirates player urges team to trade Paul Skenes before it’s too late

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best players in all of baseball on their roster in right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes. That fact is evident to everyone, apparently, except team owner and chairman Bob Nutting.

If Nutting isn't willing to pry open his wallet and build a competitive roster around a once-in-a-generation player like Skenes, one former Pirates player believes that the club should try to see what kind of haul they can get for him in a trade.

Erik Kratz, an 11-year MLB veteran who spent two separate stints with the Pirates in 2010 and 2016, argued on the "Foul Territory" podcast that his former team might as well explore the trade market for Skenes.

"He is a chandelier in a haunted house," Kratz said of Skenes. "You know the value of the chandelier and other teams. If you want to make an impact on this organization that will last for the next six years ... Paul Skenes might win 15 games a season for a 65 at-max, 70-win team. Go and see the value. Go and find it. Set a new bar. You have to do something new because you're not spending."

Former Pirates player Erik Kratz urges team to trade Paul Skenes before it’s too late

While trading a generational superstar while he is still in his pre-arbitration years may sound like doing the unthinkable, Kratz may have a point. Skenes can't single-handedly carry this sputtering team out of the basement of the National League Central division. If the Pirates aren't going to spend the money to surround him with high-quality talent, then what's the point of keeping him?

Skenes is the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, and he finished in third place in the NL Cy Young Award voting. His trade value will arguably never be higher than it is right now. Carrying an $875,000 salary in 2025, Skenes is making pennies compared to his value in Pittsburgh, and teams would kill to have a talent of his caliber on their roster at such a small fraction of what he's worth.

Skenes still has two more pre-arb years after this one, and he won't be an unrestricted free agent for a half-decade. Imagine how many assets teams would be willing to fork over in a trade to get Skenes and his multiple years of team control.

Ultimately, the Pirates are wasting their most valuable asset during his prime. If they aren't going to help Skenes win in Pittsburgh, they can at least let him go win somewhere else.

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