In his second season, Pirates ace Paul Skenes is already one of the most recognizable and popular players in baseball.
But his talent alone has not turned Pittsburgh into a winner. It is far from it. After a 76-86 season in 2024, Skenes’ rookie of the year campaign, the Pirates have the second-worst record in the National League in 2025 at 20-36. They have MLB’s worst offense and second-worst wRC+.
The reality that the Pirates are far away from contending has led to trade chatter around Skenes, whom they control through 2029. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said recently that dealing Skenes for hitting help is “not at all part of the conversation,” while Skenes said, “Anybody can play GM.”
So, a former general manager did just that for The Athletic on Wednesday. Jim Bowden, the ex-GM of the Reds and Nationals, included the Mets among the five teams with the prospect packages to lure Skenes to Queens.
Proposed package: OF Carson Benge, 1B Ryan Clifford, SS/OF Jett Williams, RHP Brandon Sproat
The Mets could offer arguably their four best prospects for Skenes. Sproat could effectively replace Skenes in the Pirates’ rotation immediately while Benge, Clifford and Williams would give them a trio of bats who would improve their lineup in the long term. This is the weakest package of the five I’ve listed, but among this group of potential trade partners, the Mets are the team that needs Skenes the most; he’d pair with Kodai Senga to lead a rotation that surprisingly tops the majors in ERA (2.85) this season.
Let’s also acknowledge the fact that the Mets have not publicly — or through reporting — expressed interest in Skenes, let alone creating an enticing package for him.
That would undoubtedly be a haul to part with, but would it be enough to land Skenes? Among Baseball America’s start-of-the-season rankings, the Mets would be giving up their No. 1 (Williams; No. 60 overall), No. 2 (Sproat; No. 97 overall), No. 6 (Clifford) and No. 7 (Benge) prospects with Sproat the lone player a step away from the majors at Triple-A, where he’s struggled with a 6.31 ERA in 10 starts.
Williams has mostly played shortstop in Double-A, but he has experience in center field. He’s recaptured his top prospect form after an injury-shortened 2024 season, with a .284/.373/.485 line along with four home runs and nine stolen bases.
Clifford, a first baseman/corner outfielder, is batting .228/.325/.421 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in Double-A.
Benge, an outfielder, is likely close to earning a call up from High-A to Double-A. The Mets’ 2024 first-round pick is slashing .231/.448/.543 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and eight steals.
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