Last Updated on May 20, 2025 by Matt Musico
Starting pitcher Paul Skenes has barely reached one year of MLB service time and won’t even be eligible for arbitration until 2027. But could the Pittsburgh Pirates entertain the idea of trading their young superstar to a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers?
It sounds ridiculous, but after ESPN’s Jeff Passan tossed out the idea of trading Skenes this summer on The Pat McAfee Show, hypothetical trade proposals to big-market teams have been flying around the interwebs with stunning speed. Here’s the five-player swap Jim Riley of Ballcap Sports has proposed:
- Dodgers receive: starting pitcher Paul Skenes
- Pirates receive: catcher/outfielder Dalton Rushing, outfielder Josue De Paula, shortstop Emil Morales, and outfielder Andy Pages
There would be a lot of top talent heading back to Pittsburgh in this fake trade. Rushing (ranked first), De Paula (second), and Morales (sixth) are all ranked within LA’s top 10 prospects, according to MLB.com. While De Paula (ETA: 2026) and Morales (ETA: 2029) have an estimated time of arrival beyond the 2025 season, Rushing and Pages could be immediately added to the Pirates’ big-league roster.
Editor’s Note: New to MLB Daily Dingers? Then Start Here!
The Dodgers Adding Paul Skenes Would Be Ridiculous
What’s the probability of Los Angeles adding a hurler like Skenes to its rotation? Considering the entire situation at the present moment, it feels far-fetched — even if the right-hander’s long-term future is all but likely not in Pittsburgh.
After winning National League Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2024, Skenes is making a bid to be in the running for more hardware at the end of 2025. His first 10 starts (62.2 innings) include a 3–5 record with a 2.44 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts. While the hurler is making just $875K this season, it will take a lot more to keep him on the roster once he becomes arbitration-eligible in a couple of years.
But what if the Pirates did shock everyone and shopped him within the next month or two? The Dodgers are certainly a realistic possibility because they shouldn’t be counted out on any major acquisition. However, adding him to the pitching staff would be crazy to think about when considering how many arms LA has available — even with several currently on the injured list.
According to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource, the Dodgers’ current rotation includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, and Landon Knack. Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Blake Snell are also on the shelf. This doesn’t include hurlers like River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, and Gavin Stone.
But you know what they say — you can never have enough pitching. And while it sounds ridiculous to entertain the idea of Pittsburgh dealing Skenes, it could be a likely reality within the next few seasons. Once that becomes more real, you’d have to imagine the Dodgers will be a serious contender to land him. It’s just the way they’ve operated in recent seasons.
Love home runs? Sign up for my Substack today and start getting interesting home run-related observations straight to your inbox three times per week!
Leave a Reply