Yankees End Anthony Volpe Era in Risky Paul Skenes Trade Idea
Yankees End Anthony Volpe Era in Risky Paul Skenes Trade Idea originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Baseball fans entered the summer of Paul Skenes trade ideas long before last Friday's solstice.
Unfortunately for those wanting to see Skenes escape Pittsburgh, the Pirates have been insistent they won't trade their superstar ace. Never mind that Skenes leads the majors in ERA (1.85) and pitching bWAR (4.3) through 16 starts on a Pirates team facing their seventh straight losing season.
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Everyone has a Skenes trade pitch, and here's another for discussion. What if the New York Yankees called the Pirates inquiring about Skenes in exchange for several players, including shortstop Anthony Volpe?
The thought of Pittsburgh being intrigued by Volpe doesn't sound so farfetched. While Yankees fans have lost their patience with the inconsistent Volpe, he's nonetheless a 24-year-old shortstop on pace for a third consecutive 3-bWAR season.
Volpe has already hit nine homers and 20 doubles for the AL East-leading Yankees, although his defense and lack of clutch hitting remain concerning. He's a speedy shortstop with pop in his bat—and, most importantly, he's under team control through 2029.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul SkenesWendell Cruz-Imagn Images; Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Skenes makes perfect sense for a Yankees team needing another impactful starting pitcher. There wouldn't be many better options than Skenes if the league held a fantasy draft. Just imagine him being available via trade.
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The Yankees would likely need to give up at least two top-10 prospects; for the sake of conversation, we'll use outfielder Spencer Jones and starting pitcher Bryce Cunningham. Another starting pitching prospect, Chase Hampton, has a high ceiling but underwent Tommy John surgery in February.
Luckily for Pirates fans, this theoretical trade isn't one we expect to see happen. The Pirates appear committed to keeping Skenes around indefinitely, even if a title contender comes calling, willing to deplete their entire farm system.
However, as the Rafael Devers trade proved, teams are sometimes willing to change plans. Maybe a package centered around Volpe and Jones would be enough to sway the Pirates into making Skenes a Yankee ... but probably not.
Related: Yankees Urged to Make Dangerous Change After Reds Loss
Related: Yankees Legend Takes Veiled Swipe at Aaron Judge in Backhanded Compliment
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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