MLB Trade Rumors: Paul Skenes Lands With Red Sox in Wild Proposal

MLB insider proposes blockbuster prospect trade that would land Paul Skenes in Boston.

Paul Skenes is one of the top starting pitchers in baseball under the age of 25 (or at any age, really). As he celebrates his 23rd birthday on Thursday, however, at least one former MLB GM figures that a Pittsburgh Pirates' trade of Skenes "isn’t as far-fetched as you’d think."

Jim Bowden writes in The Athletic that although the Pirates are telling everyone—publicly and privately—that they won't be trading last year's Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Finalist (and this year's frontrunner), it doesn't mean that they won't "perform their due diligence in case they’re overwhelmed by a franchise-changing offer."

He still has more than four years of team control, and is the face of the franchise. But Bowden isn't convinced that the Pirates, who are slogging along with the second-worst record in the NL (21-36), shouldn't consider it.

With that, he's proposed a trade to the Boston Red Sox that would rock the baseball world, with the game's top current prospect going to Pittsburgh in return.

Boston Red Sox receive:

RHP Paul Skenes

Pittsburgh Pirates receive:

OF Roman Anthony (Red Sox' No. 1 prospect)
2B/SS Franklin Arias (No. 3 prospect)
RHP Luis Perales (No. 4 prospect)
1B/OF Justin Gonzales (No. 15 prospect)

For the Red Sox, having Skenes and Garrett Crochet as their one-two punch at the top of the rotation would make them the envy of baseball.

As for the Pirates, snagging three of Boston's top four prospects? That would be quite the haul.

Roman Anthony has been tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A this year, and is the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, slashing .318/.450/.528 with a .979 OPS, along with eight homers and nine doubles, and as many walks as strikeouts. As Bowden writes, "the Pirates could promote (him) to the majors immediately, giving him a chance to win NL Rookie of the Year this season".

Arias is at High-A, and expected to reach the majors in 2027; Perales, a power pitcher, is at Double-A, with the same ETA; while Gonzales is farther away, but at just 18, and already 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, this guy has power oozing out of every pore. His arrival time isn't until 2029.

Would the Pirates consider trading Paul Skenes?

Would the Pirates consider such a blockbuster offer? For a team that won't spend in free agency, and with not a lot of top prospects on the horizon, Bowden argues that a whopping haul like this might be their only path to a true rebuild.