The Pittsburgh Pirates have made their feelings on Paul Skenes abundantly clear amid recent trade chatter.

Heading into the MLB trade deadline back in July, there was speculation that the Pittsburgh Pirates could potentially trade star pitcher Paul Skenes. It seemed absolutely ridiculous at the time, and it still does today.

Apparently, the Pirates did receive some phone calls on Skenes, with one inquiry coming from none other than the New York Yankees.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post has revealed that the Yankees offered top outfield prospect Spencer Jones and top infield prospect George Lombard Jr. to Pittsburgh in exchange for Skenes, an offer that was declined by the Pirates.

Jones and Lombard comprised a rather significant package, with both being top-100 prospects. You also have to figure that New York was prepared to sweeten the deal with other pieces, as well. But Pittsburgh made one thing very clear: Skenes is not for sale.

And why would he be? The 23-year-old is under team control through 2029 and has already established himself as one of baseball's best arms in just his second season. He owns a 1.92 ERA, which leads all major-league starters. He also leads the National League in both strikeouts (203) and WHIP (0.921). And for those who love advanced numbers, his 224 ERA+ is the best in the bigs.

Will there come a day where the Pirates actually do place Skenes on the trade block? Perhaps. This is not a free-spending organization, and they have made just three playoff appearances since 1993, all three of which came between 2013 and 2015. But right now, Pittsburgh is understandably expressing no interest in moving the right-hander.

Could that change in the offseason? Maybe if the right offer comes along, but even then, it seems hard to imagine that the Pirates will move Skenes. The fanbase is already angry enough with the organization. Trading their young phenom would cause the fans to revolt.

Of course, as with any young pitcher that throws hard, there is an inherent injury risk when it comes to Skenes, who tallied 133 innings during his rookie campaign and is currently at 178 here in Year 2. That is something Pittsburgh will have to keep in mind. But with so many years of club control remaining, there is zero reason for the Pirates to send Skenes packing this winter.