Paul Skenes now knows where to look when he hears the next rumor of him bolting the Pirates for the Yankees.
While at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Skenes was talking to reporters when one unknown female reporter referred to the Pirates’ stud pitcher as a future Yankee in a baffling move that had him speechless.
“Hey, sorry. Just got the best interview of all time with Paul Skenes… Future Yankee,” the unknown reporter said to Skenes.
Skenes was at a loss for words upon hearing the reporter’s comment, as the ace pitcher has been battling rumors that he wanted to be a Yankee for the last few years.
The star Pirates pitcher said last November that he had been frustrated over the rumors that had been circulating about his desire to don the Pinstripes.
“I was frustrated for a couple of hours and then kind of got over it and talked to the media later that night,” Skenes said during the offseason. “There’s stuff that’s going to come out, good and bad, obviously it’s not true.”
To be fair, the Yankees did previously kick the tires on acquiring Skenes.
“He’s going to be a Pirate in 2026,” Pirates GM Ben Cherington said at the Winter Meetings.
“The question gets asked and it’s always respectful,” he added. “Teams have to ask the question, right? So I suspect that won’t end. But the answer has been consistent.”
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported in March that the Yankees hadn’t given up hope that they would one day pull off a trade for Skenes.
Though that has to be looked at as increasingly unlikely, considering the Pirates have been solid this year with a 50-47 record and two games out of the last wild card slot.
The Pirates figure to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, barring an epic collapse over the next two weeks that somehow pushes them out of the playoff picture.
Skenes has been his usual dominant self for stretches, but this year appears to be his worst since he got to the big leagues, with a 3.57 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 108 ⅓ innings.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
