Paul Skenes makes Pirates intentions clear as…
Paul Skenes has a message for anybody questioning if he has his sights set on leaving the Pirates.
“The goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh,” Skenes told reporters after he received the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday.
Skenes was responding to a report from NJ Advance Media in which an unnamed Pirates participant is quoted as saying that the celebrity pitcher was “hoping for a trade” and that Skenes “wants to play for the Yankees.”
Skenes said that he had seen the report, but “didn’t think much about it” and expressed a need to be half of the group of Pirates that can help change the notion of the group outdoors of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the second inning of a baseball sport against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. AP
“The way that fans see us outside of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh is not supposed to win,” Skenes said. “There are 29 fan bases that expect us to lose. I want to be a part of the 26 guys that change that.”
Skenes has been a bona fide celebrity since he made his MLB debut in 2024.
Skenes grew to become just the second pitcher in MLB historical past to win the Cy Young Award the 12 months following a Rookie of the Year nod, becoming a member of the likes of Mets great Dwight Gooden.
He had an MLB-best 1.97 ERA while placing out 216 batters over the course of 187 ⅓ innings.
Still, the Pirates have been perennial losers and haven’t made the postseason since 2015.
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates prior to a baseball sport against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty Images
They haven’t received a World Series since 1979, but Skenes didn’t appear deterred by that fact.
“Forty-six years without a World Series championship,” he said. “This is why I’m going to show up to the ballpark, and I’m going to work to get everybody pushing in the same direction. I know there are other guys who are going to do the same. That’s all the truth.”
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