Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall MLB draft pick in 2023, is off to perhaps the greatest start to a pitching career in MLB history. After 46 starts, his career ERA of 1.99 is the lowest of any pitcher since the start of the “live ball” era in 1920 — 105 years ago.
The closest to Skenes was Oakland Athletics great Vida Blue, whose ERA after 46 starts from 1969 through 1971 was 2.03.
Meanwhile, Skenes is pitching for a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have won just 125 of 277 games since the start of last season and prior to Thursday’s MLB slate, a sub-mediocre winning percentage of .451.
Pirates Billionaire Owner Among MLB’s Cheapest
What’s the problem? The simple answer is — the owner, Bob Nutting. The heir to a publishing fortune — his great-grandfather started Ogden Newspapers, in 1890 — Nutting is reportedly worth $1.1 billion. That doesn’t make him the richest MLB owner, but it does make him the 21st richest, which is still pretty rich.
And yet, since taking over ownership of the Pirates in 2007, Nutting has never allowed the team’s player payroll to reach $100 million. The closest he came was $99.6 million in 2016. The Pirates’ $83.8 million payroll in 2025 ranks 21st in MLB.
Manfred Pressures Nutting to Spend, With No Results
Nutting has been so miserly that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly put behind-the-scenes pressure on the billionaire to raise spending with the aim of making the Pirates more competitive, even dispatching MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations, Morgan Sword, to Pittsburgh to deliver the message in person.
Nothing helped. According to a report on Wednesday by Pittsburgh Baseball Now, Nutting has already ordered Pirates general manager Ben Cherington to keep the team’s payroll for 2026 at 2025 levels, or below.
Under MLB collective bargaining rules, Skenes is bound to the Pirates through the end of the 2029 season. His base salary for 2025 in just $875,000.
Skenes Prods Pirates to ‘Make Moves to Get Us Better’
But with the Pirates apparently committed to holding the generational mound phenom in a non-competitive situation, rumors that Skenes will somehow force a trade to a team that can compete for the postseason have run wild almost since he came into the league last year.
Statements the 23-year-old from Fullerton, California, made in a radio interview last week only fueled that speculation. Skenes said that the Pirates top brass “need to consciously and intentionally make moves to get us better.”
But it sure seems like they won’t. Then what? According to Fansided MLB analyst Christopher Kline, Skenes already has “one foot out the door” as he continues to deliver stellar results “for a Pittsburgh Pirates team that does not deserve him.”
Speculation that Skenes could force a move to the New York Yankees was given new life when it was revealed that his longtime girlfriend, gymnast and social media influencer Olivia “Livvy” Dunne has recently been house-hunting in Manhattan.
Yankees Look to Skenes as ‘Savior’
Meanwhile, the Yankees have been in a tailspin, dropping to the third and final AL Wild Card spot after leading the AL East by seven games as late as May 28.
“Amid the frustration, Yankee fans and pundits have zeroed in on one potential savior: Paul Skenes,” wrote Pinstripes Nation scribe Inna Zeyger on Thursday.
According to a report by Matt Ehalt of the New York Post on August 1, the day after the MLB trade deadline, the Yankees received multiple offers from teams interested in trading for outfield slugger Spencer Jones, currently the organization’s No. 4 prospect.
But the Yankees, according to the Post, told those teams that Jones was off the table — with one exception. They would be willing to trade Jones in a deal for Paul Skenes.
Paul Skenes Has ‘One Foot Out the Door’ in Pittsburgh as Yankees Trade Hope Rises