Paul Skenes’ unanimous NL Cy Young win last week should have been a happy moment for both him and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead, it came on the heels of a bombshell report that included an anonymous teammate saying that Skenes wants to play for the New York Yankees someday.
While Skenes already denied the Yankees rumors last week, he dismissed them again during his appearance on Tuesday’s episode of “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I was frustrated for a couple of hours and then, kind of, got over it and talked to the media later that night,” Skenes told Patrick. “It is what it is. There’s stuff that’s gonna come out, good and bad. Obviously, it’s not true.”
After two seasons in the Major Leagues, Skenes has seen firsthand how quotes can be twisted or taken out of context and how quickly rumors can spread. Once that happens, players can feel powerless to stop it and often have difficulty defusing the situation.
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Skenes has largely avoided drama and controversy since debuting with the Pirates, making the Yankees story particularly uncharacteristic for him. The timing was also unfortunate in that the report came out the same day he won his first career Cy Young award, marring his special day.
The 23-year-old ace is still under team control for four more seasons, so even if he does want to play for New York, he’ll have to wait a while.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images