The New York Yankees could soon have a new ace.
New York will begin the 2026 season without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon due to injuries. Yet, the Yankees still have Max Fried as their ace, but New York has shown interest in trading for Paul Skenes from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Although Skenes is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, the Pirates may be forced to move if they don’t want to pay him. Meanwhile, some of Skenes’ ex-teammates told NJ.com’s Randy Miller that the star pitcher wants to play for the Yankees.
“Trust me, he wants to play for the Yankees,” the Skenes teammate said. “I’ve heard him say it multiple times.”
A person who played for the Pirates in 2024 and 2025 with Skenes’s said the pitcher has no confidence that the Pirates ever are going to win” with him in Pittsburgh and he’s “hoping for a trade.”
If this is true and Skenes does want to play for the Yankees, perhaps the Pirates will look to trade him to get assets back. The trade package would be a massive one for Pittsburgh. The Yankees, meanwhile, would get a true ace to be part of their rotation for years to come.
Pirates GM Has No Plans to Trade Skenes
Although Skenes’ name has come up in trade rumors, in large part due to the Pirates being unlikely to sign him to a monster deal.
However, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said he has no plans to trade Skenes, and he will be in Pittsburgh in 2026.
“The question gets asked, and it’s always respectful,” Cherington said at the MLB general managers’ meetings. “Teams have to ask the question. I suspect that won’t end. But the answer’s been consistent.”
Cherington, meanwhile, said he isn’t paying attention to the Skenes to Yankees trade rumors.
“I do dismiss it, but I understand it,” Cherington said. “What we’re going to focus on is just how do we win games with him in a Pirates uniform. I have a ton of respect for the Yankees, but we’ll just focus on what we need to do.”
Skenes went 10-10 with a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts last season. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024. And, he’s likely to be announced the NL Cy Young Award winner for 2025.
Yankees Have Shown Interest in Skenes
New York has shown trade interest in Skenes for quite some time now, so the rumors aren’t new.
Following the MLB Trade Deadline this past season, insider Jon Heyman revealed the Yankees were willing to trade top prospects Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. in a package for Skenes.
“The Yankees were one of only a handful of teams (fewer than five) that checked in on Paul Skenes even after word was out that the Pirates had no intention of trading the Cy Young leader,” Heyman wrote. “That was the one case where the Yankees were willing to discuss Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr.. But talks went nowhere.”
However, the Pirates had no intention of trading Skenes at the deadline or going forward.
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