Astros? Braves? 3 Best Paul Skenes Trade Fits if Pirates Entertain Offers

According to Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, superstar right-hander Paul Skenes won’t be traded … for now.

At some point, if Pittsburgh can’t field a contending team, it will be forced to consider trade offers for arguably the best right-handed pitcher in MLB when he gets within three years of free agency – or risk losing him for nothing on the open market. That said, if Pittsburgh would actually listen to historic trade offers for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner this offseason, which teams make the most sense to pull off a deal?

Here are the three best trade fits for Skenes (as a basis, we’ll presume that any trade offer would have to include at least five top prospects/former first-round picks).

Atlanta Braves

Paul Skenes posted 7.7 wins above replacement in 2025. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Any team that wishes to acquire Skenes has to meet three requirements: 1) they have a proven roster that the right-hander would put over the top, 2) they have a reputable farm system and 3) they have a resume of developing young players. The Braves check all three of those boxes.

Through his first 55 MLB starts, Skenes has posted a combined 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 386 strikeouts and 13.5 wins above replacement in 320.2 innings pitched. He keeps runners off the basepaths, pitches deep into games and would become the ace of an already talented Atlanta pitching staff at full strength.

One could argue that Skenes would be Atlanta’s best starting pitcher since its historic rotation trio of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. Anchoring a rotation that includes Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, a healthy Reynaldo Lopez and one of Spencer Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes – for this exercise, one of them is traded for Skenes – Skenes would give Atlanta a top-five starting rotation.

Coming off a season that saw Atlanta miss the playoffs for the first time in eight years – and it still having not won a playoff series since the 2021 World Series – there should be a sense of urgency to get back on track. Worst-case scenario, the numbers get too high for Atlanta’s liking on a potential extension with Skenes, and it tries to capitalize on the five full seasons that it has him. In the meantime, the Braves have the track record of producing homegrown players across the board to build back up the depth they’d surrender to Pittsburgh for Skenes.

The only factor that could hinder a Skenes chase for the Braves is them already having Strider and potentially viewing healthy versions of Sale and Lopez as giving them enough top-of-the-rotation depth to not have to make a move of such substantial magnitude. 

Houston Astros

Paul Skenes boasts a career 215 ERA+. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Astros just missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years and haven’t won a playoff series since 2023. It feels like Houston is losing its place as an AL powerhouse. Making a seismic move for Skenes erases any such doubt.

Last season, Houston’s starting rotation was tied for 13th in MLB in ERA (3.97). While respectable, this is a unit that has been thrown on its axis of late, especially with veteran Lance McCullers Jr. continuing to deal with elbow woes, among other injuries. Moreover, ace Framber Valdez is a free agent this offseason. Even if Valdez is retained, another proven arm would do wonders for this staff.

Enter Skenes, who throws an overpowering four-seamer and deploys a sweeper, split-fingered fastball, changeup and sinker – among other pitches – as part of his arsenal. The hard-throwing ace would become the new backbone of manager Joe Espada’s rotation. Combine Skenes with burgeoning star Hunter Brown, and the Astros have as potent of a one-two pitching punch as any in the sport. If Valdez re-signs, the more, the merrier, and that’s without mentioning the possibility of one of Spencer Arrighetti and Colton Gordon potentially making a jump.

Houston continues to replace outgoing veteran hitters internally and through trades (e.g. Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Yainer Diaz and Isaac Paredes). It needs to pick up the pace elsewhere if it aspires to return to being the dominant force of the American League West. Acquiring Skenes would make the Astros the best team in the division.

Why aren’t the Astros No. 1 for a Skenes trade? Because there’s a team that Skenes would fill a glaring void for, and that franchise is one that won’t be outbid by any team for a player it covets.

New York Mets

Paul Skenes has started for the National League in the MLB All-Star Game in each of his first two seasons in the sport. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)

The Mets are the team to make a Paul Skenes trade.

While there are a handful of blossoming (Nolan McLean) and/or reputable pitchers (when healthy, Kodai Senga is a force and David Peterson has the potential to be a consistent one) in New York’s rotation, it doesn’t have a proven ace. The Mets’ starting staff finished last season with a 4.13 ERA, good for 18th in the sport. Skenes would fill the Mets’ ace void for the next decade.

The reality of MLB is that one-sixth of the sport is willing and able to spend at a different level than the field, and the Mets are one of those teams, which they put on display by signing outfielder Juan Soto to a record-shattering, $765 million contract last offseason. Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets, without question, won’t be outbid for Skenes should he hit the open market down the road and there be determination to sign him.

That said, if half the sport is going after Skenes in a trade beforehand (for instance, this offseason), the Mets have the luxury of most of their significant transactions of late having been free-agent signings, rather than trades. This means that they’re in position to drain the top of their farm system for a player they deem worth doing so; Skenes certainly fits the bill. 

The Mets, who missed the playoffs last season, need a Cy Young-caliber arm to rise to contention and stay there for the long haul. Acquiring a 23-year-old who already has a case for being the best pitcher in the game and is nowhere near his prime would certainly be one effective way to do so.

If New York pulls off acquiring Skenes, it would make every season a World Series-or-bust mentality for the franchise, similar to the Los Angeles Dodgers – who are the only other team with a payroll exceeding $300 million. 

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience

Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more