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Pittsburgh Pirates Star Paul Skenes Says He Hasn't Heard About a Contract Extension

The Pirates might want to work on this soon, before the price goes up even further...

Brady Farkas

Fans look on as Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) warms up in the bullpen before pitching against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park in 2024.
Fans look on as Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) warms up in the bullpen before pitching against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park in 2024. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Speaking this weekend at the team's fan fest, Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes says he hasn't heard much of anything from the team about a possible contract extension.

Skenes finished his rookie season (2024) at 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. The former No. 1 pick in the draft (2023), Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts. With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. In addition to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Skenes was also already a finalist for the National League Cy Young. He was just given the best odds in the NL to win the Cy Young this year.

As for a contract extension, let's start with the facts:

1) The Pirates certainly don't need to discuss an extension right now. Skenes is under contract through 2029, so there's plenty of time to negotiate.

2) However, every day that the Pirates wait is a day that Skenes likely becomes more expensive and harder to sign. Should he make the All-Star Game again, or win a Cy Young, the price will go up. If the Pirates want to sign him at an affordable rate, they'd be wise to do it before he hits arbitration for the first time in 2027.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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