Paul Skenes makes Pirates intentions clear as Yankees rumor swirls

Paul Skenes has a message for anyone wondering 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 won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday. 

Skenes was responding to a report from NJ Advance Media in which an unnamed Pirates player is quoted as saying that the superstar 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 desire to be part of the group of Pirates that can help change the perception of the organization outside of Pittsburgh. 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the second inning of a baseball game 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 superstar since he made his MLB debut in 2024. 

Skenes became just the second pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award the year following a Rookie of the Year nod, joining the likes of Mets great Dwight Gooden. 

He had an MLB-best 1.97 ERA while striking out 216 batters over the course of 187 ⅓ innings.

Still, the Pirates have been perennial losers and have not made the postseason since 2015. 

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates prior to a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty Images

They haven’t won a World Series since 1979, but Skenes didn’t seem 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.”