Yankees Insider Shares 4-Player Paul Skenes Trade Package After Livvy Dunne Update
· Yahoo Sports
PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 18: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on in the dugout during an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 18, 2025 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe New York Yankees enjoyed a decisive Opening Day win over the San Francisco Giants to start their season, but they could eventually seek reinforcement from a player who endured a less impressive start to the season.
The Yankees were linked to Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes ahead of last year’s trade deadline and news of their interest in acquiring the pitcher is gaining traction once again, shortly after the worst start of his career.
“Thursday was supposed to be his day,” CBS Sports’ Julian McWilliams wrote of Skenes. “Instead, on Opening Day at Citi Field against the Mets, Skenes failed to get out of the first, yielding five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. It matched the most runs he’s allowed in a start and marked the shortest outing of his career. He allowed more runs Thursday than he did in the first inning of all 32 starts combined last year.”
MORE FROM FORBESParents Of Phillies’ Alec Bohm Send 5-Word Message After Lawsuit UpdateBy Peter ChawagaNew York Yankees Reportedly ‘See Hope’ In Acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates Star Paul Skenes
Though the start was harsh, it wasn’t enough to diminish Skenes’ reputation as perhaps the best pitcher in the sport. And it reportedly hasn’t diminished the Yankees’ interest in acquiring him as soon as possible.
“So expect the Yankees to circle back if they ever detect even a glimmer of an opening,” Yankees insider Jon Heyman reported for the New York Post. “True or not, some Yankees people see hope well down the road since Skenes’ girlfriend, model and gymnast Livvy Dunne, lives in New York.”
The Yankees could have to wait until Skenes hits free agency to move forward in negotiations to acquire him, as the Pirates seem uninterested in trading him. Skenes isn’t scheduled to break free of Pirates contract control until the 2030 season.
But in the meantime, the Yankees have been aggressive in trying to trade for him. Heyman reported that the Yankees “were prepared” to trade four top prospects to the Pirates ahead of last year’s deadline. And he shared his best guess about what that package might have looked like.
New York Yankees Insider Suggests 4-Player Trade Package For Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes
“It isn’t clear who those were, but as of the deadline, their best prospect package might have included some combination of Cam Schlittler (who’s now establishing himself as a potential ace), George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and Carlos Lagrange, or possibly others,” Heyman wrote.
With Schlitter now a viable big-league starter and Lagrange and Lombard turning some heads during Spring Training, that four-player package would interest virtually any team. But Skenes has been so good and so affordable that the Pirates might have been unwilling to consider it or a similar haul.
And, if that’s the case, it seems like the Yankees will have to wait a few more years before they can try to leverage Dunne’s affinity for New York and bring Skenes to the Bronx.