"Support for Paul Skenes" - MLB insider fuels fire by linking Pirates to projected $72M star after blockbuster Kyle Schwarber bid

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been riddled with questions over Paul Skenes' future. Their inability to field an offense capable of supporting its pitchers has been a point of discussion as the Cy Young winner went through his 32 starts to earn a 1.97 ERA, but with a 10-10 win-loss record in 2025.

Skenes also has credible backup with young and up-and-coming starters like Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler, with Mitch Keller's experience adding to a decent starting rotation. General manager Ben Cherrington was aware that the offense needed to get better to support them.

The team was in the sweepstakes for Kyle Schwarber. The Pirates, unlike their recent years, made a big splash for the DH, offering him at least a nine-figure contract, before he re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Thus, trading for Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe was a step in the positive direction for the team. According to The Athletic's Jim Bodwn, on the MLB Network Radio on Monday, the Pirates need to pad up their lineup behind Lowe by adding an at-bat like Eugenio Suarez, who he projected to receive a four-year $72 million contract.

"I want Ben Cherington to step up," he siad. "You got Brandon Lowe. Let's finish the job. Let's get some power for this pitching staff. They got a starting pitching staff that can keep them competitive. "We got to score runs. Let's go get Eugenio Suárez and put him with Lowe and get that power in the middle of there and get some 3-run homers for this pitching staff so Paul Skenes doesn't lose 2 to 1 and 1 to 0 every fifth day. "I want run support for him. You had him at 49 (home runs) last year. Ben Cherington, let's go. If you have that much money to throw at Kyle Schwarber and that much money to throw at Josh Naylor, well then you certainly can bring in Suárez to go with Lowe, and you can get another guy too."

Heading into his age-34 season, Suarez is approaching the twilight of his MLB career. But he had a superlative 2025, hitting a combined 49 home runs and 118 RBIs for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners.

Brandon Lowe makes feelings known after joining the Pirates

Second baseman Brandon Lowe, in his first presser as a Pirate on Monday, said that he was optimistic about the team's playoff opportunities.

“I feel like there’s a real opportunity there for a deep push and some playoff baseball in Pittsburgh,” Lowe said. "The pitching staff is legit. The hitters, they have some extremely talented guys that play in the field and I’m excited to kind of come and help in any way that I can.”

Lowe is heading into the final year of his contract and is set to make $11.5 million in 2026. He has been on pace to hit more than 30 homers in four of the last five seasons with Tampa Bay, doing so in 2021 and 2025, when he played at least 134 games. The Pirates, meanwhile, have had just one 30-homer hitter since 2014.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy