Paul Skenes’ record bonus only highlights how badly Pirates are wasting him

After his unanimous National League Cy Young win, Paul Skenes was awarded a record $3,436,343 from MLB’s pre-arbitration bonus pool. The number sounds nice if you don't mind reading the fine print. Looks like the Pittsburgh Pirates are “taking care of their ace,” right?

Wrong. Because the Pirates didn’t pay it. Major League Baseball did. And if you had any doubts about how badly this franchise is wasting the most electric pitcher it's had in decades, a record bonus –– funded by everyone except Pittsburgh –– should erase them.

The pre-arbitration bonus pool is designed to reward elite young stars who outplay their league-minimum salaries. Skenes earned his money by being that guy. The Pirates watched — and collected the goodwill. Meanwhile, they still pay him the minimum. They still run out bargain-bin lineups. They still act like spending is optional.

The league cut the check, but Pittsburgh took the credit. That’s not “supportive;” that’s freeloading off your own superstar.

With Paul Skenes' record bonus, MLB is paying for what Pirates refuse to build around

Where other teams see stars, the Pirates see budget relief. Look at some of the names cashing pre-arb bonus checks this year: Corbin Carroll, Cristopher Sánchez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Brayan Bello, Jackson Chourio, Tanner Bibee, Colt Keith and Jackson Merrill. All of those players also have something else in common –– they have already been extended by their teams. Already surrounded with real rosters. Already seen as franchise investments.

Meanwhile, Skenes is treated like a payroll inconvenience with a Cy Young ceiling. While other teams use generational stars as foundations, the Pirates use theirs as a discount.

This franchise celebrates restraint like it’s strategy. They parade fiscal caution like it’s excellence. Meanwhile, the best pitcher they’ve had since Gerrit Cole is asked to carry a franchise that still refuses to carry him.

The league paid Skenes because his team won’t invest in winning around him, and that says what the Pirates won't say out loud: that they love having Skenes in Pittsburgh, but they don't love spending like a team that wants to matter while he's there.