Pirates just got the Paul Skenes trade warning they needed with Rafael Devers deal

By now, it's widely known that the Pittsburgh Pirates have zero intention of trading Paul Skenes. But if the Boston Red Sox taught us anything over the weekend, it's to never say never.

The Red Sox made the shocking decision to trade Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday after butting heads over poor communication regarding his position switch and making zero effort to mend the relationship with their franchise cornerstone.

Despite the fact that Devers was the only one of his teammates enjoying a successful season at the plate, Boston abruptly cut bait with the 28-year-old in year three of his 10-year contract for a rather underwhelming return. Let this be a lesson to the Pirates – even if they don't plan on trading Skenes now, they would be wise not to wait too terribly long if they feel an eventual move is inevitable.

Pirates just got the Paul Skenes trade warning they needed with Rafael Devers deal

Right now, as the National League Cy Young favorite with a 1.78 ERA through 15 starts, Skenes is the object of every team's desire and could therefore easily net the Pirates an historic prospect haul in return.

Considering he is still under team control and he is one of the Pirates' only draws for ticket sales, Skenes isn't likely to be moved until he has a year or less remaining on his contract. While that might be better for business, it will be worse for winning. Fortunately, though, Pirates owner Bob Nutting only cares about the former.

That being said, the longer the Pirates wait to trade Skenes, the less leverage they have with a potential trade partner and the more likely they will receive an underwhelming return. If the Red Sox had explored a trade of Devers, say, during the offseason when they signed Alex Bregman to be their third baseman, they could have avoided a world of drama and gotten a stronger package in return.

Now, there is no reason to believe that the Pirates are anywhere close to damaging their relationship with Skenes the way the Red Sox did with Devers. But they would still be wise to learn from Boston's mistakes and maintain at least a shred of dignity if they plan to part with one of the best young arms in franchise history.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter