Pirates Discussing Contract Extension with Paul Skenes

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Paul Skenes and a precarious future with him going forward, but are looking to keep him around for the long-term.

Dan Zangrilli, the Pirates pre-game & post-game show host on 93.7 The Fan reported that the Pirates have engaged in contract extension talks with Skenes.

Skenes currently makes $875,000 in 2025 in his second pre-arbitration season, where most players make around the MLB minimum, $760,000. He will then have three years of arbitration, where a player and ballclub work to agree on a year's worth of pay, then hit free agency after the 2029 season.

Zangrilli said that while an extension won't come easy, the Pirates won't stop from trying and that they will likely use money they freed up from trading third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds and give help for Skenes or use it for the extension.

"Well, I think that they look at it as a longshot, uphill battle, but that's not going to deter them from trying," Zangrilli said.

"So I think that, yes, they're going to absolutely try. Now how successful, obviously, I'm sure that they, again, view it as an uphill battle. Likely is, but again, with the money that they presumably freed up, maybe that is allocated to try and extend this window, okay, because everyone is talking about the timeline, well maybe they can push the finish line back on this and that might be money well spent."

The benefit for the Pirates signing Skenes early on is that they can secure him long term and have him a on a team-friendly contract, instead of a much more exorbitant rate when he becomes a free agent.

If Skenes signs an extension, he'd make much more money next season and could easily do so for the three years of arbitration, instead of waiting for the next decade to get his first big contract.

Skenes will likely command record numbers during those three arbitration seasons, which Zangrilli doesn't think is a problem for the Pirates, but that they might not be so willing to commit a great amount of money over a few seasons.

"Well, I don't know if it's so much that, as it's so much is to try and realize the full value of his contract, and I've always said on my shows that I believe that the one way that you can get something done is it has to be super creative and what it has to do, as it has to, yes, guarantee all these six years and maybe have some sort of opt-out in there and maybe he gives you plus-one, where you get a seventh [year]," Zangrilli said. "So you can fully, truly realize all those years of control. You're going to have to overpay for that...and yes setting the arb records."

"I don't think that that's going to necessarily be a deterrent, where they have to deal him then because of that, because even still, those arb records that he's likely to set, I'd like to think they could still chew on that number, even though it's going to be a record-setting, astronomical one."

"It's not so much that the one year, it's getting yourself on the hook for big dollars, big numbers for a long period of time that I think that the Pirates are so gun-shy about."

"But if you're going to say he's going to make $25 million in one year in arb, I don't think that that would deter the Pirates from moving on from him or feeling forced to trade him. If you had to guarantee him $30 million a year for three years, that's a totally different conversation."

Skenes has had another sensational season in 2025, despite a 6-8 record, as the Pirates have scored four runs or less in 17 of his 23 starts.

He has a 2.02 ERA over 138.0 innings pitched, 154 strikeouts to 34 walks, a .187 opposing batting average and a 0.92 WHIP.

Skenes ranks amongst the best pitchers in baseball, including the lowest ERA, second lowest opposing batting average, third lowest WHIP, seventh in innings pitched and eighth in strikeouts.

He started his second All-Star Game for the National League at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, on July 15, throwing a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts.

Skenes became the first pitcher that started two All-Star games in their first two seasons in the league and just the second Pirates pitcher that started for the NL twice, along with Bob Friend, who did so in 1956 and 1960.

He also earned NL Pitcher of the Year honors in July, as he finished with a 2-1 record in five starts, allowing just two earned runs over 27.0 innings pitched for a 0.67 ERA, giving up just 21 hits, four hit batters and three walks, while posting 36 strikeouts, a .212 opposing batting average and a 0.89 WHIP.

Skenes also dominated in his first MLB season in 2024, with an 11-3 record over 23 starts, allowing just 29 earned runs over 133.0 innings pitched for a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts to 32 walks, a .198 opposing batting average, a 0.95 WHIP and a 11.50 K/9.

He started for the NL in the All-Star game that season, becoming the first rookie to do so since Hideo Nomo did so in 1995 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Skenes went on to win NL Rookie of the Year, earning 23 of the 30 first-place votes and becoming the first Pirates player since outfielder Jason Bay did so 20 years earlier in 2004. He also earned All-MLB First Team honors and finished third for the NL Cy Young Award.