There are claims that it would be reasonable for the Pittsburgh Pirates to trade Paul Skins (23), who is in his second year in Major League Baseball this year.

MLB.com noted on the 22nd (Korea time) that Pittsburgh is having a poor season and said, "All of this leads to difficult questions. These are questions that may not even seem appropriate to ask. Should the Pirates consider trading Skins?" as it examined the possibility of Skins' trade.

Skins is a right-handed ace who joined Pittsburgh as the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2023 rookie draft. After graduating from the minor leagues in just one year, Skins made his big league debut last year, recording 11 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 1.96 over 23 games (133 innings), and won the National League Rookie of the Year award. He also ranked 3rd in the Cy Young voting and 19th in the MVP voting.

This year, Skins continues to perform well, with 3 wins, 5 losses, and an earned run average of 2.44 over 10 games (62⅔ innings), making him a strong candidate for the Cy Young award. However, despite Skins' performance, Pittsburgh continues to struggle. The team has a record of 17 wins and 33 losses, resulting in a win percentage of .340, sitting at the bottom of the National League Central Division, which is not particularly strong. On the 19th against Philadelphia, Skins suffered a complete game loss, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 1 earned run.

A senior official from a National League team said, "If Pittsburgh really wants to challenge for a World Series title in Skins' prime (along with O'Neill Cruz, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, and Burba Chandler), they must push in more chips and show it through action," emphasizing that Pittsburgh either needs to trade Skins or seek to reinforce its lineup.

Skins is now a very young ace in his second year in Major League Baseball. His salary this year is only $875,000 (approximately 1.2 billion won), which is not much different from the Major League minimum salary ($760,000), and he does not yet qualify for salary arbitration. The team's ability to keep Skins for another four years and the fact that he is just entering his prime make his trade value unimaginable.

MLB.com predicted the potential return for a trade involving Skins, mentioning the trade of Juan Soto (to the Mets) in August 2022. A senior official from a National League team said, "The return Pittsburgh would receive would be the largest of any trade we've seen," adding, "However, it seems they have no compelling reason to trade before the trade deadline in 2026."

Another senior official from an American League team said that even if Skins were to be traded in 2026 or 2027, his value would not differ significantly from now. "If the trade were to happen now, it would be starting at 1.5 times that of Soto. Realistically, there are few teams that could give up that many good players. Assuming the Red Sox exclude players under long-term contracts, they could offer Tristan Casas, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Christian Campbell, Tanner Houck, and so on," he explained, adding, "Looking at it this way, it seems Pittsburgh might reach out."

Another National League executive said, "Skins can be the cornerstone of the team. Finding a true ace is really difficult. That’s why it would be really hard to trade him. However, if they decide to trade, they can demand everything from a winning team and they will actually receive it. Adding Skins to a top-tier team could change the dynamics of the World Series. Considering the remaining duration of his contract, any team acquiring Skins would be willing to take a risk, even if it means giving up their future. It could be a trade that changes the fate of the franchise."

However, there are also negative opinions. A senior official from an American League team expressed, "Even if we approach this 100% rationally, trading Skins would be akin to admitting, 'We will not compete for the championship until 2030.' Certainly, they would receive good compensation, but we cannot be sure if those players would be as beneficial as Skins."

Another American League team executive asserted, "While this is something that can be considered from the team's perspective, it's a different issue from the franchise's standpoint. From the team’s viewpoint, it’s always reasonable to consider such options. However, from a franchise perspective, sending such a message to the fans is simply unacceptable."

Pittsburgh has faced similar situations in 2018, trading ace Gerrit Cole, who was the overall number one pick in the 2011 rookie draft, to Houston in exchange for Colin Moran, Jason Martin, Joe Musgrove, and Michael Feliz. MLB.com stated, "If they had traded Cole right after his selection as an All-Star and 4th in the Cy Young voting in 2015, the return would have been even greater. However, in that year, Pittsburgh won 98 games and advanced to the postseason as a wild card, so they couldn’t even consider trading their ace."

Skins could lead Pittsburgh to become a strong team within the next 1-2 years. A senior official from an American League team stated, "Teams can sometimes make leaps quicker than expected. Pittsburgh might achieve something in 2-3 years. Trade now might yield a much greater return than in 2-3 years. They may receive more, but I can't guarantee how much more they would get."

Another senior official from an American League team cited Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers as an example. He asked rhetorically, "Did anyone expect the Tigers to become this strong just two years ago?" He explained, "Detroit was in the bottom tier of farm rankings in 2023 and was in a weak division. I believe it would be more advantageous for Pittsburgh to hold onto Skins for a few more years before trading him. That’s the Tampa Bay way."

"Decisiveness is necessary," emphasized the American League team executive, stating that "Skins is a very important asset for Pittsburgh's future. Whether he remains to become a core player or serves as a means to enhance the team's strength through a trade, it’s the same."

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