On Wednesday, Paul Skenes unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award after posting a 1.97 ERA with 216 strikeouts in 32 starts in 2025. Amidst Skenes’ win, however, came rampant speculation about his future with the Pirates organization.
A report from NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller quoted an anonymous Pirates teammate that allegedly heard Skenes talk about wanting to play for the Yankees and getting traded well before he reaches free agency after the 2029 season. Skenes, however, quickly shot down this speculation.
“I got shown the tweet and got some texts about it. I didn’t think much about it,” Skenes said on a Cy Young conference call on Wednesday. “I’m on the Pirates. My goal is to win with the Pirates.”
“I don’t know where that [report] came from. I don’t know the reporter. I don’t know the player that supposedly said that. But the goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington also bluntly gave his answer about the possibility of trading Skenes on Tuesday at the GM meetings in Las Vegas.
“Paul Skenes is going to be a Pirate in 2026.”
Skenes is the unquestioned face of the Pirates franchise and one of the best players in baseball. Through two seasons, Skenes has a Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year Award, two All-Star Game selections and a 1.96 ERA across his first 55 career starts. The 23-year-old Skenes is under club control through the 2029 season.
