Paul Skenes just sent Pirates a message they can’t afford to ignore

Paul Skenes didn’t just accept his Cy Young trophy Saturday night in New York. He issued a challenge.

In three minutes at the 101st Baseball Writers’ Gala, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace managed to distill the mindset that carried him from “can’t-miss prospect” to National League Cy Young winner in a matter of months — and in doing so, he sent a message that the organization employing him can’t afford to treat as inspirational wallpaper.

“No matter where you come from, no matter how long the road feels, no matter how many times you hear, ‘not yet, or not possible,’ keep going,” Skenes said in his acceptance speech. “Bet on your work, trust the process and don’t let anyone else define your ceiling. I’m here right now because I don’t understand the word ‘can’t.’”

That message was aimed at kids in the crowd. It was aimed at players grinding in the minors. But it should’ve landed just as forcefully in the offices at PNC Park.

Because “don’t let anyone else define your ceiling” is not a motivational quote. It’s an organizational philosophy. And for too long, the Pirates have allowed their ceiling to be defined for them — by market size, by payroll rank, by the ghosts of rebuilds past, by the comfortable idea that contention is something you prepare for rather than pursue.

Skenes is telling them that’s a choice. He is living proof of what happens when you stop waiting for permission. The Pirates didn’t ask him to be the best pitcher in baseball in 2025. He simply decided that “not yet” and “not possible” didn’t apply. He skipped steps. He skipped timelines. He skipped the part where young players are supposed to ease into greatness.

And now he’s standing on a stage in New York, holding hardware that once felt mythical in Pittsburgh.

Paul Skenes' Cy Young speech was a challenge the Pirates must answer

The uncomfortable truth for the Pirates is this: their franchise player is operating on a different plane than the organization around him.

Skenes isn’t thinking in terms of “windows.” He’s thinking in terms of now. He isn’t interested in being the ace of a someday contender. He’s already an ace of the present. His career arc is moving faster than the pace at which the Pirates have historically been willing to move. That’s what makes his words so powerful — and so dangerous — for the status quo.

“Bet on your work.” The Pirates have done that with player development. They’ve done it in the draft room. They’ve done it in the minor leagues. But there’s a missing clause in their version of that sentence: and then bet on the players you create.

Skenes isn’t asking for recklessness. He’s asking for belief. For ambition. For an organization that doesn’t flinch when the moment demands more than patience.

You can’t preach “trust the process” while simultaneously building in escape hatches for failure. You can’t tell players to ignore “not possible” while treating 85 wins as a practical ceiling. You can’t let your brightest star define himself upward while the franchise keeps defining itself downward.

The Pirates have a generational pitcher at the very beginning of his career. They have a farm system that’s about to flood the roster with talent. They have a fan base that has already waited longer than any speech could justify.

Skenes just gave them the roadmap. Don’t let anyone else define your ceiling –– not the market, not history, not fear, not comfort.

If the Pirates truly believe in the culture they’re trying to build — in the players they’ve drafted, the infrastructure they’ve created, the future they’ve promised — then they need to start acting like an organization that “doesn’t understand the word ‘can’t.’”

Because their ace already doesn’t.

And if the Pirates ignore that message, they won’t just be wasting words. They’ll be wasting time.