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Sep 17, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) talks with Pirates owner Robert Nutting (right) before the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates GM Addresses Potential Paul Skenes Extension

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 9:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Paul Skenes and many wonder if they'll keep him around long term.

Skenes finished an incredible season with the Pirates with a 10-10 record in 32 starts, a 1.97 ERA over 187.2 innings pitched, 216 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .199 opposing batting average and a 0.95 WHIP, along with a 10.36 K/9, a 2.01 BB/9 and a 5.14 K/BB.

He ranked amongst the best pitchers in the MLB, with the lowest ERA, tied for the fourth most strikeouts, the fourth lowest WHIP, the sixth lowest batting average and the 10th most innings pitched, plus the fifth best K/BB, seventh best K/9 and ninth best BB/9.

Skenes finished as the first MLB pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since right-hander Justin Verlander did so with the Houston Astros in 2022.

He also made Pirates history, with his 216 strikeouts the most for a right-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920). Only Ed Morris, who had 326 strikeouts in 1886 and 298 strikeouts in 1885, the most and second most in a season in franchise history, has more than him.

Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to start the All-Star Game consecutively in his first two seasons in the league, also doing so in 2024, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, just one year after the Pirates took him first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

His historic season will surely see him win the NL Cy Young Award, making him just the third Pirates pitcher to do so, along with Vern Law in 1960 and Doug Drabek in 1990.

Skenes made $875,000 in his second season of pre-arbitration, where most MLB players make around the MLB minimum, $760,000. He has one more year of pre-arbitration in 2026, before three years of arbitration, where a player and ball club work to agree on a year's worth of pay, then hit free agency after the 2029 season.

Those arbitration years will likely break the record for the most money a pitcher signs to and the Pirates competing with much richer suitors in free agency is unlikely, due to their historically low payrolls.

The Pirates could buy off his seasons of arbitration by signing Skenes to an extension, which would keep him past the 2030 season and do so on a team-friendly contract, instead of a much more exorbitant rate when he becomes a free agent.

Skenes would also get paid a much higher salary earlier on, instead of having to wait for that big contract next decade.

The Pirates haven't discussed a contract extension with Skenes yet, as he said in the final homestand that he doesn't want to talk about contact in the season.

Cherington confirmed to reporters that he is returning for the 2026 season on Sept. 29 and fielded multiple questions from the media on how this team gets better for the future, including the potential of the team signing Skenes to an extension.

He praised Skenes for his volunteer work off the field and also his drive to be the very best at what he does, even with as talented as he is.

Cherington also said that they share his desires to win and that they would want Skenes to remain with the Pirates for the foreseeable future.

"Well it's obvious that on and off the field he is someone we would want to have for as long as possible," Cherington said. "Every team would say that. He exemplifies in my experience with him, he lives, he walks the walk in every possible way and we need, not every player would do it quite at the level he does but we certainly need even more of that mindset and just approach toward his craft, his approach toward winning, on top of the stuff he does off the field.

"So he's clearly someone that is at the center of our thoughts a lot. He wants to win really badly too. I expect that at some point every year you talk about contract, you talk about contract with everybody so that's going to come for us at some point anyway and of course he's someone we'd love to have here for a long time."