Mark Madden: Paul Skenes excites Pirates' true believers with championship talk, but it changes nothing

As expected, Paul Skenes got the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday. Was a unanimous selection to boot.

What Skenes said after was embraced like the Sermon on the Mount by those dumb enough to be among the Pirates’ true believers.

Skenes was asked about a report that he told a teammate he wanted to play for the New York Yankees. He responded: “I’m on the Pirates. My goal is to win with the Pirates.” Skenes added that he didn’t “know the player who supposedly said that.”

The Pirates’ faithful rose as one and cheered mightily, including attendant media stooges.

But Skenes never said he didn’t say that. Never said he didn’t want to play for the Yankees. Yet one headline called it a denial.

It wasn’t.

Skenes rambled on about his commitment to helping the Pirates win, peppering his narrative with pithy statements like, “We’re stewards of the city of Pittsburgh.”

It was almost Tomlin-esque.

One writer interpreted Skenes’ diatribe as a mandate that Pirates ownership and management “have no other choice but to listen.”

I bet owner Bob Nutting feels he has a choice.

You think Nutting will significantly increase payroll because Skenes says he wants to win? Nutting has already wasted two years of prime Skenes.

Part of Nutting is likely mad that Skenes won the Cy Young Award because that forced Nutting to pay Skenes a $2.5 million bonus. (Hot dogs are going to cost more.)

Skenes richly deserves the Cy Young Award.

Skenes’ homily hit Bucco fans right in the feels, almost like a verbal bobblehead.

But it changes nothing.

Skenes is going to get paid, and it won’t be in Pittsburgh.

Skenes will be a Pirate, at most, for another season and a half.

When Skenes goes to arbitration following the 2026 season, he might well have a second straight Cy Young Award under his belt. (Skenes could have that right now except the Pirates delayed promoting him in 2024, his rookie season.)

Skenes could be awarded $50 million. No less than $40 mil.

Nutting won’t pay that. Skenes will get traded.

To be honest, no small-market team can afford to pay that to one player. Not even a franchise that tries to win, which the Pirates don’t.

Will MLB’s new CBA shake that up? Probably not enough.

The Pirates’ faithful and attendant media stooges are easily conned. It’s like Stockholm syndrome.

After Skenes leaves, they will just latch onto Konnor Griffin. Rinse and repeat. The Pirates will waste Griffin, too.

Skenes’ post-Cy Young Award winning interview was like a psychological experiment. It got Pirates fans so pumped, but the situation remains the same.

Skenes is a diplomat. He’s obviously not going to say he’s as good as gone.

I believe Skenes when he says his goal is to win in Pittsburgh.

My goal is to discover time-travel.

Or levitate via mind control.

Or be one-quarter of the U.S. Olympic men’s 400 relay team.

Optimism will dissipate when the Pirates squander Skenes’ third season. Normal service will be resumed.