Paul Skenes Receives Massive Trade Prediction Before MLB Deadline
Paul Skenes Receives Massive Trade Prediction Before MLB Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled through the 2025 MLB season thus far. Those struggles have led to trade rumors surrounding superstar ace pitcher Paul Skenes.
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Skenes, who has become one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, would be of interest to every team in baseball if he were made available. He is just 23 years old and is already playing at a level most pitchers never reach.
While the rumors have been surrounding Skenes, it would still be shocking to see the Pirates make the decision to trade the superstar face of the franchise.
A new prediction has been made for the ace ahead of the upcoming MLB trade deadline on July 31.
Bleacher Report analyst Tim Kelly has made the bold prediction that Pittsburgh will not be trading Skenes this year. He thinks they're going to continue trying to build a contender around him.
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"Whether it's Ben Cherington or someone else leading the baseball operations moving forward, it's fair to wonder if owner Bob Nutting will be willing to authorize the necessary spending to put a playoff-caliber team around Skenes before he prices his way out of Pittsburgh," Kelly wrote.
"But it's way too early to admit defeat."
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30)Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
So far this season with the Pirates, Skenes has made 15 starts. He has compiled a 4-6 record to go along with a 1.78 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, a 4.4 K/BB ratio, and 96 innings completed.
Even though Pittsburgh has been unable to build a contender to this point, there is still hope. It would be a massive shock if the Pirates opted to trade Skenes now.
Related: Paul Skenes Makes Unfortunate MLB History Following Pirates Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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