Paul Skenes has had a historic run as a Major league Baseball pitcher, and he’s only played two seasons. Last night, Skenes became the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award with a win/loss record of .500 or worse. He was 10-10 for the Pirates last season, with a 1.97 ERA. He was a unanimous choice for the National League Cy Young. The Tigers’ Taril Skubal repeated his American League Cy Young Award win from 2024.
Earlier in the day, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington refuted a story by a New York reporter that Skenes says he wants to play for the Yankees. Cherington says the right-hander will be a Pirate in 2026 (but he didn’t say what happens after that.) Skenes said last night that he is a Pirate and wants to win with the Pirates. He said he does not know the reporter, nor does he know the player who supposedly told the reporter he wanted out of Pittsburgh. “The goal is to win,” he said. “And the goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”
The MLB general managers meetings wrap up today in Las Vegas with the naming of the MVPs for each league and the announcement of the All-MLB Teams.
