The Pirates insist they won’t trade Paul Skenes. But should the Dodgers make a run at him anyway?
Pittsburgh’s 22-year-old phenom (he turns 23 on Thursday) has established himself as one of baseball’s elite starters since his much-anticipated debut last May. With four-and-a-half years of team control remaining on his rookie deal, the Pirates don’t seem eager to move their ace as they continue rebuilding.
That hasn’t stopped the speculation, though. One insider believes Pittsburgh might at least listen to offers behind closed doors—and the Dodgers have the prospect firepower to make things interesting.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed a package centered around four of LA’s top prospects: catcher Dalton Rushing, outfielder Andy Pages, left-hander Jackson Ferris, and right-hander Landon Knaack.
“The Dodgers could offer the Pirates a long-term answer at catcher (Rushing) and a solution for left field (Pages), improving their lineup for this season and years to come,” Bowden wrote. “Ferris, 21, isn’t ready for the majors yet, but has the stuff to become a top-of-the-rotation starter if his command and control improve.”
“Knack would slot into the Pirates’ rotation right away, effectively replacing Skenes. On the other side of the trade, the Dodgers’ postseason rotation, if healthy, could be Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. Yikes!”
It’s an intriguing package. All four prospects have significant upside, with Pages already making an impact at the major league level. But there’s a fundamental problem with any Skenes trade proposal right now.
Skenes looks like a generational talent—a borderline lock to be an All-Star for the next decade barring injury. The Pirates have him under team control through 2029 at bargain rates. Meanwhile, there’s no guarantee any of those Dodgers prospects will ever make even a single All-Star team.
That’s why even if Bowden’s proposal might tempt Pittsburgh, they’re unlikely to pull the trigger this early in Skenes’ career. When you finally land a true ace, you typically don’t let him go until you absolutely have to—especially when he’s just getting started.