MLB writer takes Pirates ownership to task for mishandling Paul Skenes

It’s less than one full season into Paul Skenes’ career, and the Pirates already seem to be squandering the opportunity he presents. Yahoo Sports! writer Jake Mintz took Bob Nutting to task this week for his failure to spend to create a roster that can back Skenes. Bucs fans aren’t surprised by the tight budget, but that doesn’t relieve the frustration.

Since a Skenes extension seems completely out of the picture, the least Nutting could do is bring in some bats and give the young star a shot at postseason glory. Unfortunately, the Pirates brass has decided to follow the New York Mets model. No, not the current, spend-friendly edition. I’m talking about the club that had nine seasons of Jacob deGrom and made the playoffs just twice. The club that routinely gave him no run support.

The failure to build a capable Pirates roster around Paul Skenes is an embarrassment.

According to FanGraphs, the Pirates are projected to score 4.26 runs per game, fifth-worst in the Majors. While that is a slight improvement over last year’s actual performance of 4.1 runs per game, it likely won’t be enough to push Pittsburgh above .500, much less into the postseason. 

The Pirates did little to address this. Tommy Pham is likely to be the most significant offseason acquisition now that Spencer Horwitz is out for 6-to-8 weeks. Pham isn’t exactly going to be a game-changer with his bat. Nor does the Pirates’ lineup feature much in the way of defense. In 2024, the team accrued -7 defensive runs saved. Pham is a defensive liability, so there is little hope for a defensive turnaround this year.

There also seems only marginal hope of growth among the players returning from 2024. Simply having Endy Rodriguez back and healthy is a plus, but most of the rest of the lineup has already reached their ceiling. Help from the farm system is also lightyears away, thanks to the Pirates’ preference for prep draftees. Nick Yorke should be around soon, as will Termarr Johnson, but everyone else is in the lower levels.

No matter how good Skenes is – and he could be historically good – he can’t win games by himself. The Pirates have him under control until 2030, so there is time for Nutting to build a winner, but he needs to start now. Trading some of the club’s pitching depth for big-league talent, especially as several contenders deal with injuries, would be a logical move. Regardless of how Nutting goes about it, Pirates fans are clamoring for some kind of positive development.