Paul Skenes might be the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates right now, but fans are convinced he'll be changing teams before he enters the prime of his career.
Skenes, a two-time All-Star and the reigning NL Cy Young winner, has been as good as advertised since entering the MLB. He currently owns a career 2.08 ERA with a 23-14 record and 398 strikeouts.
The Pirates are hoping their rookie shortstop, Konnor Griffin, will live up to the hype just like Skenes has. After all, the front office just signed him to a nine-year, $140 million contract extension.
Once this extension for Griffin was finalized by the Pirates, reporters asked Skenes to share his thoughts on the move.
"It's awesome. At some point, I hope it'll quiet down for him. Not every week is like this - I'm sure he'll learn. I'm super happy for him and his family. i'm glad he got a deal that works for him," Skenes told reporters. "He’s going to be the face of the Pirates for a long time."
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That last comment from Skenes has fans wondering where he'll go next.
"Paul Skenes, you are a New York Yankee," one fan declared.
"Oh yeah, he’s 100% gone once he reaches free agency," another fan said.
"Paul Skenes will be a Dodger confirmed," a third fan replied.
"He knows he won't be with the Pirates once his contract is up," a social media user wrote.
What's Skenes' contract situation?
Skenes is under Pittsburgh's control through the 2029 season. He'll have to get through three arbitration years before he can finally test the open market.
While the Pirates would probably love to get a deal, it doesn't sound like Skenes is itching to put pen to paper.
"I get that the argument that, 'Oh, they'd have more money to extend him,' but you can't force someone to sign a contract extension and if they don't have any success in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, assuming they don't make the playoffs next year, then why would he want to sign an extension here, when he knows he's probably getting moved in the next couple of years anyway and especially if he knows that 2027 very well could be a shortened season due to the lockout," Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.
As of this moment, it seems like Skenes is willing to hit free agency.
