For a franchise constantly stuck between rebuilding and rebooting, the Pittsburgh Pirates enter the 2025 trade deadline with one mandate: Don’t screw this up.
With the team sitting well below .500 and sellers once again, GM Ben Cherington will be fielding calls on just about everyone. But according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, two names are officially off-limits: Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz. And let’s be clear—that’s non-negotiable.
Despite continued fantasy packages from national pundits and wishful thinking from contenders like the Dodgers, Paul Skenes is not getting traded. Period.
Dodgers Fans Need to Wake Up: Skenes Isn’t Going Anywhere
That hasn’t stopped L.A. from drooling over the idea. Former GM Jim Bowden recently proposed a blockbuster that would send Dodgers prospects Dalton Rushing, Andy Pages, Jackson Ferris, and Landon Knack to Pittsburgh in exchange for the flamethrowing Skenes.
On paper, it’s an intriguing haul: a long-term catcher, outfield depth, and two arms with upside. But let’s get real. The Pirates aren’t looking for another set of maybes. They finally have the real thing. Skenes isn’t a prospect anymore—he’s an ace. He’s already racked up 77 strikeouts with a 2.15 ERA and a 0.916 WHIP over 12 starts.
This isn’t fantasy baseball. You don’t trade the best pitcher you’ve drafted in decades for the hope someone else pans out.
If Cherington even entertains these offers, it would signal a white flag not just in 2025 but in the entire direction of the franchise.
Pirates May Be Listening on Reynolds & Hayes… But Should They?
While Skenes and Cruz are untouchable, the absence of Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes from the “do not call” list has raised eyebrows.
Reynolds, locked in through 2030, is finally heating up after a sluggish start. He’s been the team’s most consistent bat for four years, and moving him would effectively admit that the Pirates have no offensive core. Yes, dumping his salary could open up over $14 million in 2026—but history tells us the Pirates won’t spend it anyway. Cherington hasn’t signed a single free agent to a multi-year deal since taking over in 2019.
Reynolds could fetch a top-100 prospect, but is that what the Pirates need right now? Another project? Or do they need to start building around actual, proven talent like Skenes, Cruz, and, yes, Reynolds?
Hayes, on the other hand, might be reaching the end of his runway. His defense remains elite, but his bat still hasn’t caught up. Despite better contact metrics and launch angle gains, he’s producing worse than his disappointing 2024. He’s owed $7 million per year through 2029, and if Pittsburgh can offload that deal and reallocate the payroll toward a productive bat, it makes more sense than parting with Reynolds.
Cherington’s Deadline Moves Must Match the Moment
The Pirates don’t need a complete teardown. They need a course correction. Trading every veteran with a pulse won’t cut it anymore—not with Skenes already dominating and Cruz flashing star potential.
If Pittsburgh wants to bring playoff baseball back to PNC Park by 2026, they need to act like it. That means identifying the true building blocks, not flipping them for lottery tickets. The time for hoarding prospects is over.
Skenes isn’t a rebuild piece. He’s the reason to stop rebuilding.
So to the Dodgers and any other contender looking to poach the Pirates’ ace before his window even opens—save the offers. This team has made too many mistakes to let the best pitcher in the National League become another chapter in Pittsburgh’s long list of trade regrets.
It’s time the Pirates say no—and mean it.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Pirates Name Two Non-Negotiable Players for Trade Deadline appeared first on Heavy Sports.