A report from a suburban New Jersey outlet indicated Skenes might have told an anonymous former teammate he'd prefer to be a Yankee and be traded there. Skenes was unaware of the conversation with the mystery player after teammates showed him the report. "I didn't think much about it," he says.

There was no sophomore slump for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Instead, the LSU product followed up his NL Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024 by unanimously winning his first NL Cy Young Award in 2025.

Paul Skenes actually smiled and pumped his fists unlike his stoic reaction last year when he won Rookie of The Year.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes are this year's American League and National League Cy Young Award winners.

Early expectations are low for the Pirates, with the FanDuel Sportsbook listing their chances of winning the World Series at +30000 (bet $100 for a $30,100 payout) as of November 13. Only the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals, all listed at +50000, have worse odds.