Why Paul Skenes and Pirates' brightest young star will be skipping PiratesFest

PiratesFest, held this year on Saturday, Jan. 24, is supposed to feel like the unofficial opening day of the Pittsburgh Pirates' season. It’s the first time in the calendar year that fans get to see the team, shake hands with players, snag an autograph, and begin imagining what the next six months might look like.

It’s winter in Pittsburgh, but PiratesFest is where hope starts to thaw. That’s why absences always feel louder than presences.

This year, a few names will be missing that fans were especially excited to see — most notably Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin, the two brightest stars in the organization’s present and future. On paper, it stings. In reality, the reasons tell a pretty human story.

Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award in 2025. On the same day as PiratesFest, he’ll be in New York City attending the 101st New York Baseball Writers’ Gala to accept that honor. It’s the same event he attended last year after winning NL Rookie of the Year. This is what superstardom looks like. The face of your franchise isn’t ducking fans — he’s being celebrated by the entire sport.

Konnor Griffin’s absence is even more wholesome. The Pirates’ top prospect, the teenager many fans are already dreaming about in black and gold, just got married. He’s on his honeymoon. There will be plenty of time for Griffin to sign autographs in Pittsburgh. There’s only one time to start a life.

Still, when PiratesFest rolls around and those chairs are empty, fans will feel it. Especially in a market like Pittsburgh, where access matters. Where these moments — shaking hands, hearing a player say your kid’s name, watching a prospect smile awkwardly at a Sharpie — are part of the bond between city and club. PiratesFest isn’t just a convention. It’s relational. It’s personal.

And it’s why every absence becomes a story.

Complete list of Pirates who will be missing PiratesFest in 2026

Andrew McCutchen isn't scheduled to appear at the event on Saturday because he’s still unsigned. That alone hangs over the weekend like a cloud. McCutchen is PiratesFest to an entire generation of fans. His absence isn’t about travel or timing — it’s about uncertainty. About a franchise legend whose future in Pittsburgh remains unresolved.

Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler also won’t be signing autographs. There’s no official reason given for either, though Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan reported that Chandler's absence is due to his being a first time home buyer. As for Keller, maybe it’s scheduling. Maybe it’s rest. Maybe it’s something mundane. But in a fan base trained to read tea leaves, “no idea” becomes its own source of unease.

Then there’s Esmerlyn Valdez — one of the organization’s most intriguing young bats — who posted on X that he would be attending, yet isn’t listed on any autograph sessions. It’s a small thing. But small things are what fans cling to in January.

None of this is scandalous. None of it is wrong. In fact, every reason makes sense. But PiratesFest is about proximity. It’s about feeling close to something that spends most of the year far away. When the biggest arm in baseball and the brightest future star aren’t in the room, you notice. You always do.