Players talk to the media every day. It’s part of the gig. Some soundbites you get are amazing and you can digest it and take it for what it is at face value. Sometimes, you get a quote that really stands out and you really begin to think about it more. One quote that has stood out recently was made by Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

What to Make of the Paul Skenes Quotes

There is a lot of excitement for this baseball season. When talking about the Pirates, you have Andrew McCutchen who came back for another season. The Pirates rotation is well put together, but the injury to Jared Jones is concerning. It would be phenomenal if we would see prospect Bubba Chandler climb to the big leagues. But there are flaws in their roster that should’ve been addressed. Pirates ace Skenes had quite the quote this week discussing the state of the team.

“I think we owe something to the city,” Skenes said. “We owe a lot to the city. It’s our job to go out and win for the city because this is bigger than all of us. There’s a reason why [veteran Andrew McCutchen] Cutch keeps coming back, and specifically to Pittsburgh.

“There’s something about this city. We saw it last summer. We’ve seen it in the videos of the Wild Card Game. I’m tired of watching them because it was a Wild Card Series. The bar needs to be set pretty high. Not taking anything from those guys. “The fact that that’s a golden era of recent Pirates baseball, that needs to change. We owe it to the city.”

That is a lot to digest. But given that the Paul Skenes era of Pirates Baseball is only just beginning, there is a part of this to say that he isn’t wrong and that the ownership and front office needs to have a new and different approach.

Time to Right the Pirate Ship

Talk about a new era of baseball. This is a Pirates team that has failed to make the playoffs since 2015, and was the last time they won 90+ games. In fact, the Pirates have only won 80+ games just once since that wild card round. Skenes is right, the fans deserve better and so does this team.

Yes he is speaking out loud, but if you are the front office, you need to listen and pay attention to what he’s saying. This is a Pirates team (as evidenced above) that has been a laughing stock for a decade. Now that they actually have building blocks in place, the time for them is to build upon that and add caliber pieces.

Chris Rose, host of Baseball Today and the Chris Rose Rotation made a very good comparison. Like in football, teams who have quarterbacks on a rookie contract, you can shell out money elsewhere to maximize that deal. The Pirates have Skenes under team control until 2027 (arbitration eligible) and isn’t a free agent until 2031. Needless to say, the Pirates should maximize that and build a winning team around their prized ace. The biggest weakness, is probably at the plate.

Rose saw Paul Skenes’ comments partly as a warning shot at Pirates owner Bob Nutting pic.twitter.com/w4wiH8hGpJ

— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) March 24, 2025

The Pirates offense was bottom ten in the league in just about every statistical category. They were 24th in runs and really would be beneficial if they gave their pitchers run support. They have McCutchen, Reynolds, and O’Neill Cruz, but this team needs more. It isn’t just addressing the glaring weaknesses, it’s just buying in and putting a winning product onto the diamond.

The time really is now for the Pirates. They have a pitcher in Skenes and also a nicely put together rotation. Ownership needs to not just sell jerseys, but focus on selling playoff tickets.

Time to change. That fan base deserves it. So does Skenes.