Last year, there were rumors that Paul Skenes had mentioned to teammates that he wanted to play for the New York Yankees.
Those rumors have resurfaced after his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, recently revealed she tried to purchase Babe Ruth’s former New York City home. She was denied the purchase and made a video about it on social media, where she has a huge following.
"That's probably reading a little deeper into it than what is true," Skenes said when asked about whether there was a tie between his girlfriend's purchase attempt and him wanting to play for the Yankees, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. "If you're a baseball fan, you're probably a Babe Ruth fan."
Skenes is one of the best pitchers in the game and is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. He likely will not win the award this year, but that does not change the fact that he is currently on track to be one of the best pitchers of this generation. He has already accomplished so much, and it won't be long before he is out of Pittsburgh.
The Pirates will be priced out of his market when he hits free agency, and he has no reason to sign an extension until the Pirates prove they can be a winning team. He will be a free agent after the 2029 season, going into his age-28 season. He figures to get a massive payday, and teams like the Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers may be the only teams that can afford him.
However, for right now, Skenes seems focused on helping the Pirates win. The team is in the postseason mix and could end up being a wild card. It remains to be seen how aggressive they plan to be at the deadline to help that cause.