Paul Skenes is angry: he denies wanting to be traded to the Yankees

Let's just say that things could be worse for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Why? Because the club is finally getting around to spending some money to build a good club around the squad's fine rotation, which has shown promise in recent months.

Led by a Paul Skenes who's still earning peanuts, can the Pirates hope to build something good? Who knows… but they're boosting their chances with an owner who's putting his hand in his pocket.

But all is not rosy.

The day Paul Skenes got hold of his Cy Young, rumors surfaced that the main man was keen to continue his career in the Bronx.

Why would he do that? To win.

Of course, Skenes is still a long way from full autonomy (four years) at the moment. But even so, it's logical to believe that the rumours, which come from a former teammate, are true.

But the main interested party, whether it's true or not, can't let it live. And in a recent interview, the Pirates superstar set the record straight on the matter, after saying that he was angry for a few hours following the birth of the rumor.

What Skenes told the Dan Patrick Show is that he wants to do with the Pirates what he did in college (in the Air Force program): build a winning program, even if he's playing in a place where winning isn't customary.

He ended up winning with Air Force. But I should add that he also finished his NCAA career with LSU, a huge program…

I understand that Skenes, who has no control over his future right now, wants to win. And I don't think the Pirates letting it be known that they want to spend a few days after the Skenes-to-New-York rumors is coincidental, by the way.

Chance can't be that broad-minded. Right?

This content was created with the help of AI.