Jim Bowden’s take on Yankees-Paul Skenes discourse is insanely anti-small market

In an unfortunate reflection of how sports media works in 2026, Paul Skenes' one weird inning in New York on Opening Day opened up a flurry of delusional discourse (once again) about Skenes potentially getting traded to the New York Yankees.

Are we really doing this again? Sadly, yes.

The man who lit the latest Skenes-Yankees fire was none other than The New York Post's Jon Heyman, but it was The Athletic's Jim Bowden who then poured gasoline onto the situation. Responding to Heyman's report that the Yankees may have offered a four-player package to the Pirates for Skenes last season, Bowden acted disappointed that Pittsburgh didn't trade away their Cy Young.

In fact, he looked straight into the camera on an episode of Foul Territory and declared, "the Pirates should have gone ahead and closed the deal immediately."

Paul Skenes-Yankees trade doesn't make sense for multiple reasons

The Yankees' reported/theoretical trade offer for Skenes was a quartet of Cam Schlittler, Carlos Lagrange, George Lombard Jr., and Spencer Jones.

Ironically, the Yankees wouldn't offer this package right now (and we don't know for sure if they ever did), based on Schlittler's continued trend towards ace status and the emergence of Lagrange this spring as one of the most exciting pitching prospects in baseball.

And despite the significant value of Schlittler alone (not to mention the obvious -- though not yet MLB-proven -- talent of Lagrange, Lombard, and Jones), the Pirates wouldn't be interested in this deal today, either, and that's because they're not interested in trading away the nucleus of their franchise just as they're on the cusp of a winning era.

The Pirates improved their lot in every area over the offseason, whether you want to look at the promotion of Don Kelly or the injection of a handful of quality bats into their lineup. Suddenly, Pittsburgh looks like one of the fastest-rising clubs in the majors, as they've paired a competent offense with an electrifying (though young) rotation, and Skenes is at the center of all of this.

Bowden's argument that the Pirates should have traded Skenes in 2025 rests solely on the premise that small-market teams can't retain their superstars. It's the identical thought process that goes into the idea that the Detroit Tigers won't be able to retain Tarik Skubal for much longer.

In a sense, Bowden's take is anti-small market. And while some people might say that Bowden is just being realistic, there is a tinge of pessimism with his Pirates take that doesn't quite take into account the direction that Pittsburgh is headed in. This franchise has a newfound commitment to spending. While the Pirates waited too long to extend Skenes, it looks like they're not about to make the same mistake with Konnor Griffin.

From a purely financial perspective, will Pittsburgh simply not be able to afford the "$400 million" that Skenes will demand at some point (Bowden's loose projection)? We don't know how the cookie will crumble in that regard quite yet, but it's clear that the Pirates are operating under the assumption that Skenes can and will be part of their future. Pittsburgh wants to be a perennial playoff team, and it views Skenes as central to that plan.