YANKEES REMAIN "FIRST IN LINE" IF PITTSBURGH EVER DECIDES TO TRADE PAUL SKENES
Paul Skenes reacts to Konnor Griffin’s $140M deal. Discover why the Yankees are still chasing the Pirates' Cy Young ace.
The New York Yankees tried to land Paul Skenes at last year’s trade deadline, but the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t even entertain the idea. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees offered up four of their top prospects, but Pittsburgh slammed the door shut.
After that, Skenes just kept climbing. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 2025, striking out 216 hitters over 187.2 innings, keeping his WHIP at 0.95, and posting a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts. Fresh off a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024, he put together one of the best pitching seasons anyone’s seen lately. Pittsburgh stood its ground, and New York had to move on.
Then on Wednesday, the Pirates threw down a franchise-record contract: nine years, $140 million for 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin. It’s the biggest deal the team’s ever handed out. When reporters asked Skenes about it, his answer prompted people to discuss his own future all over again.
What did Skenes say about the Griffin deal? He kept it simple and positive.
“He’s going to be the face of the Pirates for a long time,” Skenes said.
And here’s the thing: Skenes is the reigning Cy Young winner, a two-time All-Star, probably the best arm in the National League right now. If anyone embodies the Pirates, it’s him. But he didn’t say that. Maybe it was just being a great teammate, maybe there was something more to it, but people noticed.
Skenes becomes arbitration-eligible in 2027, and he’s under team control until the end of the 2029 season. He’ll hit free agency just before 2030.
Pittsburgh made its feelings clear with Griffin’s $140 million deal. Now everyone’s watching to see what they’ll put on the table for their ace.
Paul Skenes’ reaction to Griffin’s extension, calling him “the face of the Pirates”, only added fuel to the speculation.
Why are the Yankees still paying attention? They’ve liked Skenes for a while, and that’s not changing. They tried to get him last deadline and struck out. Heyman says if the Pirates ever budge, New York will be first in line. Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay gets why Skenes is appealing, but he’s sceptical a trade will happen soon. Skenes is under team control for four more years. Pittsburgh doesn’t have any incentive to make a deal right now.
And then there’s the money side of things. Skenes made $1.085 million this year, still in the pre-arbitration stage. Meanwhile, Griffin just locked in $140 million. The Pirates front office keeps saying they want Skenes for the long haul. General manager Ben Cherington even called him a player they’d love to keep as long as possible. But Pittsburgh hasn’t always managed to hang onto its stars once the price tag soars.
Every dominant outing from Skenes makes that next contract more expensive. Every year without an extension shrinks Pittsburgh’s window.
At the end of the day, maybe Skenes was being supportive when he called Griffin “the face of the Pirates.” He was happy for a young teammate in his big moment. It sounded simple enough. But in Pittsburgh, where so many top players have left before, his words hit differently, even if he didn’t mean anything by them. The Yankees aren’t backing off. They’ll be ready to try again.
Time’s moving fast in Pittsburgh. You can bet New York is listening.
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
