The Pittsburgh Pirates are facing a situation that some want them to get ahead of with Paul Skene, with many suggesting that doing so now would help them avoid what the Detroit Tigers are dealing with now with Tarik Skubal.
Stephen Parello of FanSided believes the solution is simple and that Pittsburgh should try to extend Skenes now, rather than letting the questions about his future continue on throughout arbitration and every offseason.
“Skubal will be 30 when he hits free agency after this season, and the Tigers will want to keep him around,” Parello wrote. “They'll likely need to shell out $400-ish million to do so. While he'll have a few more years of dominance in the tank, the backside of a contract like that will be quite grim.”
“By extending Skenes now, the Pirates can avoid all of that headache and ensure that they keep him through his prime years, without having to overpay for the decline phase on the back side.”
The thought is a smart one, as it was reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN on Thursday night that Skubal and the Tigers are way off on arbitration numbers.
“Two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal filed for a $32 million salary this year while the Detroit Tigers countered at $19 million, sources tell ESPN. The $13 million spread is by far the largest in salary-arbitration history and sets up for a fascinating hearing in February,” he posted on X.
Skenes is still in the earlier stages of his career, which gives Pittsburgh some leverage to give him a deal that rewards the best pitcher in baseball and also shows the fan base that it wants to win.
Parello also pointed to arbitration as another problem, as it could become even more expensive than free agency if Skenes continues doing what he’s done.
“Beyond that, Skenes' record pre-arb bonus foreshadows just how much his salary will balloon once he hits arbitration,” Parello wrote. “Better to pay him now and keep the salary increases steady, than be hit with a balloon payment once an arbitrator decides that he's worthy of breaking more salary records.”
It would be the biggest move in franchise history and one that makes plenty of sense.