As his Pittsburgh Pirates team flounders at the bottom of the NL Central, general manager Ben Cherington flatly stated that, no, he’s not trading 22-year-old ace Paul Skenes.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, the former Boston Red Sox general manager laid out plainly that the Pirates have not lived up to expectations this season, stressing that the team needs to improve.
But when asked if trading Skenes was on the table, Cherington drew the line there.
“No, it’s not at all part of the conversation,” Cherington said to reporters.
A New Hampshire native and graduate of UMass Amherst, Cherington worked for the Red Sox from 1999 until 2015. He served as the team’s general manager from 2011-2015. Cherington has worked as the GM of the Pirates since 2019.
The Pirates have consistently been one of Major League Baseball’s least successful franchises this century. But they do have one shining prize in the form of Skenes, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023.
Skenes took the majors by storm in 2024, finishing 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, earning his an All-Star nod and rookie of the Year honors.
Skenes has been terrific this year as well, posting a 2.44 ERA. At just 22, Skenes represents one of the most prized trade targets in baseball.
The Pirates have been perpetually been stuck in rebuilding mode. It’s understandable that there have been questions about trying to flip Skenes for a package that would re-shape the roster.
But for now, it appears Cherington is leaning on the hope that his team can turn things around internally.
“We have a big enough sample to tell us a lot about where we are and how we played, and it’s not good enough. … What’s also true, though, is we believe we can and will play a lot better, and that’s our focus,” Cherington said Thursday.
In his defense, there was some optimism that the Pirates wouldn’t be terrible this season.
For example, ZiPS projections saw Pittsburgh finishing at around .500 this year. Well, it’s late May and the Pirates haven’t even come close to winning half their games.
With a record of 17-34, they’ve won precisely one-third of them.
