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Sep 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) walks in the outfield before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates' Paul Skenes Addresses Offseason Plans

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 8:30 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes is a little more than a month removed from his final start of this past season and has full transitioned into a pivotal offseason.

How Will Paul Skenes Attack this Offseason?

Skenes had an incredible 2025 season and is already back working to become the best pitcher he can be after some time off.

Skenes spoke with Zach Aldridge and Brandon Baylor of CBS Sports, after they announced him as the MLBPA NL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year winner, about winning the award, the season and what he's up to now.

He said that he recently took the past month off from baseball, spending time with girlfriend Livvy Dunne and getting much needed physical and mental rest. Skenes also said that he began his program last week and that he's getting back in shape, which he'll continue doing through the rest of the offseason heading into the Spring Training and beyond.

"Yeah I took about four weeks off," Skenes said. "Completely off. More of a mental break than a physical break. Just in terms of what I needed. So started my program this week and will be lifting and throwing, just about every day for the next 11 months until this time next year. So looking forward to it. It's nice to get back into it."

Skenes Dominates in 2025 for Pirates

Skenes had just a 10-10 record in 32 starts with the Pirates, but 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 also ranked highly in the NL, with the lowest WHIP, the fourth lowest batting average, tied for the second most strikeouts and the fourth most innings pitched, as well as the second best K/BB and both the fifth best K/9 and BB/9.

His play made him the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game, becoming the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star games in the first two seasons in the MLB.

He'll likely finish the season as the NL Cy Young Award winner, making him the first Pirates pitcher to do so since Doug Drabek did in 1990 and the third overall, with Pirates Hall of Famer Vern Law winning the Cy Young Award, with no league distinction, in 1960.

Skenes also earned accolades for his play, with Baseball Digest naming him their Pitcher of the Year, the MLB Players Association Choice Awards naming him the NL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year andSporting News naming Skenes to their All-Star team.

Skenes Sets New Records in 2025

This past season showed that Skenes not only belongs at the MLB level, but that he has truly started his path towards a spot in the Hall of Fame.

He was the first NL pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA and 200+ strikeouts since right-hander Jacob DeGrom did it with the New York Mets in 2018. He is the first MLB pitcher to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since right-hander Justin Verlander did so with the Houston Astros in 2022.

Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to finish with 200+ strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA and still not have a winning record, since ERA became a stat in 1913.

He was the first qualified pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in a season at 23 years or younger, since right-hander Dwight Gooden did so at age 20 with the Mets in 1985.

Skenes 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.

His 216 strikeouts rank seventh most in a season in franchise history and fifth most in the live-ball era.

Skenes is just one of three Pirates pitchers that led the MLB in ERA, with right-hander John Candelaria last doing so in 1977 and right-hander Cy Blanton doing it first in 1935, according to OptaStats.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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