"No post season for Paul Skenes"; "Such a Yankee" - Fans buzz as GM Ben Cherington doubles down on ace’s future in Pittsburgh

Since his MLB debut last season, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the league. The two-time All-Star is one of the finalists for the NL Cy Young award for a second consecutive season.

Despite Skenes' historic 1.97 ERA during the 2025 season, the Pirates finished five games worse than last season, falling well behind in the race for a playoff spot.

The Pirates' underwhelming performances have fuelled rumors of Skenes' move away from Pittsburgh. He was speculated to be one of the trade candidates at the trade deadline last season with the New York Yankees one of the team's linked with the All-Star ace.

Despite the specifications, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said during the MLB GM meetings the team has no plans of letting Skenes go.

“Paul Skenes is going to be a Pirate in 2026," Ben Cherington said.

Fans reacted to Cherington's comments on Skenes' future.

"Cool! No postseason for skenes. This is surely great for his career wow! Amazing work."

🗻

@onmyf

Cool! No postseason for skenes. This is surely great for his career wow! Amazing work

"He’s such a Yankee in 2026."

Chatter in the Cage

@Cage_Chatter

He’s such a Yankee in 2026

“Paul Skenes is going to miss the playoffs in 2026” is what I read."

tafaki23

@pops_nobrigss23

“Paul Skenes is going to miss the playoffs in 2026” is what I read

"If you can’t sign him to a long term contract and build a team around him, you need new owners. It’s pathetic."

BH22

@BigHorn2822

If you can’t sign him to a long term contract and build a team around him, you need new owners. It’s pathetic.

"For baseball, we need to come together and get him out of the Pirates. We cannot have a Mike Trout level generational talent waste again!!!"

Julius

@A3991Ja

For baseball, we need to come together and get him out of the Pirates. We cannot have a Mike Trout level generational talent waste again!!!

Pirates GM hints at offseason spending to build around Paul Skenes

Pirates general Ben Cherington revealed that the team have received inquires about Paul Skenes but have no plans of trading him. While Cherington backed the Pirates rotation, he hinted at offseason additions to bolster the roster.

"We believe our pitching is a strength," Cherington said. "Doesn't mean we wouldn't want to add more pitching. We will certainly be opportunistic on the pitching side. There are some things that we'd like to do on the pitching side, but run scoring was the thing that got in our way more than anything. And we've got to add to that."