After the season, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes certainly made some interesting comments about where the organization stands.
From Skenes’ perspective, they were more than fair.
The reality of the situation is that Skenes is arguably the best starter in Major League Baseball and deserves an opportunity to win in the future.
If the Pirates can't provide him with that, it might be a better idea to seek other options for the young star.
However, for that to happen, the Pirates would have to be willing to trade him, and as of now, it'd make absolutely no sense to even consider a trade.
Unless the Pirates get back Shohei Ohtani, it just doesn't make sense. The reality of the situation is that whoever the Pirates get in return, even if it's seven-plus players, likely won't even be half of what Skenes is.
There was some noise about one of Skenes’ teammates stating that he wants to play for the New York Yankees.
However, when speaking to reporters about that on Wednesday night, Skenes said that he had no idea where that came from, and his focus is on changing the narrative around the Pirates and getting this team to win in the near future.
"I don't know where that came from," Skenes told reporters Wednesday night, per ESPN. "The goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh."
"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."
When speaking to reporters about the same question, general manager Ben Cherington also stated that the question gets asked many times.
He understands that other teams around the league are always going to be interested in a player of Skenes’ caliber, but that his answer doesn't plan to change anytime soon.
"The question gets asked, and it's always respectful," Cherington said at the MLB general managers' meetings. "Teams have to ask the question. I suspect that won't end. But the answer's been consistent."