Looking ahead to the future for the Pittsburgh Pirates, there's a lot to be excited about if some of their prospects continue to develop and end up playing as well as everybody expects them to.
Guys like Konnor Griffin and others are expected to continue to make major impacts for this organization from now through the next decade or so.
However, one big-time player has a lot of question marks about his future with the team. That guy is none other than Paul Skenes, though others also need to be considered in future plans.
Another guy is Bryan Reynolds, as it remains uncertain what the Pirates want to do with their star switch-hitting outfielder. Reynolds has proven throughout his career that he can be one of the more above-average players in baseball at any given moment, while Skenes continues to show, despite some struggles this year, that he's arguably the best pitcher in the world.
Regarding possible extensions for both guys, the latest doesn't suggest Skenes will ever be extended.
There are still questions about Reynolds, but considering how much cheaper he'll be, that possibility remains much higher than a Skenes extension.
“The jury is still out on the Pirates making Bryan Reynolds the first $100 million player in team history. You could say Reynolds is earning his salary, compared to other NL outfielders, but he slumped badly through most of the summer, failing to hit a home run the entire month of August.
“The Pirates will never be able to sign Paul Skenes, even if his current slide continues, because he will be too expensive,” Joe Starkey wrote.
It's interesting that Reynolds would get $100 million if the Pirates go in that direction while allowing a guy like Skenes to walk over money. Not that Reynolds isn't worth $100 million, and again, Skenes will be a lot more expensive, but we know that Skenes is the much better player based on the numbers, even if the positions are very different.
I'd like to see Skenes be with the Pirates for the rest of his career, but there's a lot more that goes into it.
