Paul Skenes quashes rumors of him wanting trade to Yankees

Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Paul Skenes was subject to trade rumors last Tuesday, the same day in which he unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award. Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media quoted an anonymous Pirates teammate who claimed he heard Skenes express his desire to get traded to the New York Yankees before he can become a free agent in 2029.

Skenes addressed the report during a Tuesday appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.” The 23-year-old shut down the trade rumors, professing his intention to help the Pirates establish a winning culture.

“I was frustrated for a couple of hours and then got over it and talked to the media later that night,” Skenes said. “It is what it is. There’s stuff that’s gonna come out, good and bad. Obviously, it’s not true.”

"I was frustrated for a couple of hours and then, kind of, got over it… Obviously it's not true."

– Paul Skenes addresses the rumors of him wanting a trade to the #Yankees. pic.twitter.com/qI3agQyraw

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 18, 2025

This is now the second time in the last week that Skenes has spoken out against trade rumors. He said last Wednesday of the report, “I don’t know where that came from.”

Paul Skenes has been dominant; can Pirates put a winner around him?

The Pirates went 71-91 in 2025, their seventh consecutive season under .500. They last made the postseason in 2015 and have just three playoff appearances since 1992. Spending money has been an issue though according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Pittsburgh intends to get more involved in free agency this offseason.

Passan reported the Pirates were primed to make a serious push at first baseman Josh Naylor before he re-upped with the Seattle Mariners. They are also hoping to be in on the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes. Things are happening in Pittsburgh. Ownership appears ready to build a winner and Skenes wants to be a part of that.

“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, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick out of LSU, has been as dominant as it gets since making his MLB debut in May 2024. He boasts a 1.96 ERA across 55 career starts — the lowest of any pitcher since the Live Ball Era (1920). Skenes finished the 2025 season with a 1.97 ERA — more than a half run lower than any other pitcher in the NL. Additionally, Skenes led the NL in WHIP (0.95) and homers per nine (0.5). He compiled 216 strikeouts, good for second-best in the NL.

Skenes joined a short list of pitchers who earned Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards during their first two seasons in the big leagues. That list includes Fernando Valenzuela, who won both awards in 1981, and Dwight Gooden, who achieved the feat in 1984 and ’85.