I'm really happy with how Paul Skenes has treated things over the past few weeks.
After a random teammate came out and stated that he wanted to play for the New York Yankees up in the Bronx, Skenes hasn't only stopped those comments, but he's made it seem like his biggest goal right now is to win with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It wouldn't be easy for a player of Skenes' caliber to come out and say that he wants to play in the Bronx.
Considering he's arguably the best starter in Major League Baseball and has a good chance to be one of the greatest of all time, his frustration can be warranted in Pittsburgh.
The harsh reality of the situation is that the Pirates haven't done enough to win with the right-hander on the mound, and even if he's that young, there has to be some frustration boiling over.
However, when speaking on The Dan Patrick Show, Skenes stated that he was just frustrated for a couple of hours about the comments, but then realized there wasn't anything he could do about them.
Stuff is going to come out that's false all the time, and all he can worry about is doing what he has to do, which is focusing on winning in Pittsburgh.
“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. “You know, it is what it is. There’s stuff that’s going to come out, you know, good and bad ... it’s not true.”
“I got shown the Tweet and really didn’t think anything of it,” Skenes said. “I got some texts about it. I’m on the Pirates; my goal is to win with the Pirates."
To me, this gives the Pirates even more of a reason to go out and spend a lot of money for the youngster to ensure that he has a chance to win.
If the Pirates are serious about taking the team to the next step, spending money on some offensive help this year should be a top priority.
Skenes seems fully committed, so there's no excuse not to do it.