The media would still like the Pittsburgh Pirates to move on from Paul Skenes, a decision that simply wouldn’t make sense from Pittsburgh’s perspective.
Not only do the Pirates have the best arm in Major League Baseball, but he’s only 23 years old and doesn’t hit free agency until 2030.
Even if the Pirates don’t think that they can keep Skenes around one day, they still have a few years with him on the roster before they have to consider moving him.
What can Pirates do to make Paul Skenes happy?
However, with questions about what the Pirates’ long-term future looks like, especially with another likely fifth-place finish in the National League Central, barring anything drastic happening with the St. Louis Cardinals, and firing their manager during the middle of the campaign, some believe the Pirates have to allow Skenes to make the next decision on who the team’s manager will be.
When searching for potential names, Jake Elman of FanSided listed former New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly as an option.
“If the Pirates explore other coaching candidates, then they should inquire Skenes what he — and by extension, his teammates — wants in a next manager. Does the Pirates’ clubhouse want a hitting-oriented manager, or would they prefer someone with a pitching background? How would Skenes feel about Pittsburgh going after an experienced manager like Don Mattingly or Walt Weiss?
“These are admittedly basic questions, but they’re ones that the Pirates need to discuss with Skenes. Pittsburgh has made it clear that they don’t intend to trade their ace anytime soon, despite the lofty haul they’d likely receive in return,” he wrote.
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Mattingly is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays as a bench coach and has managerial experience with the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It remains uncertain if he wants to be a full-time manager again moving forward, but he could be a decent fit for Pittsburgh.
