Newly-crowned Cy Young winner Paul Skenes has admitted he was frustrated to see unfounded rumors of a trade to the New York Yankees surface just hours before he scooped the most prestigious award of his career.
Skenes is coming off the back of a remarkable personal season in which he was once again named an All-Star, but the Pirates’ more general struggles have led to some claiming he is eyeing the exit.
The pitcher – who is dating ex-LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne – has now poured cold water on those rumors, and insists he is fully focused on his current club and turning things around in Pittsburgh.
‘There’s a reason Jeff Passan didn’t write about, I’ll say that,’ Skenes told the Daily Mail when asked about the reports, referencing ESPN’s most-trusted baseball insider.
‘Rumors are rumors, I was frustrated for a little bit, but it doesn’t really matter. I’ve had some time to think about it, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to speak to the Pittsburgh media and clear the air over nothing, basically.’
He then added: ‘It is what it is.’
Paul Skenes celebrates on Wednesday night after being handed baseball’s Cy Young Award
He and girlfriend Livvy Dunne found out the news while at their new home in Jupiter, Florida
Skenes was speaking at a Raising Cane’s event in Palm Beach, Florida, after teaming up with the company to raise money for the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Just hours before attending, he found out he had scooped the Cy Young award on a whirlwind day of ups and downs at his and Livvy’s new home in the Sunshine State.
The 23-year-old was recorded on his sofa reacting to the news that he had become the first pitcher to win Rookie of the Year in one season and then a Cy Young Award the next since Dwight Gooden did it with the New York Mets 40 years ago.
Skenes was selected by Pittsburgh with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, before putting up a superb ERA of 1.96 after 23 starts in his rookie season the following year.
On the same day, Skenes was rumored to be keen on a trade to the New York Yankees
Skenes and Dunne met at LSU and have been dating since 2023, before his MLB career began
In the previous campaign he recorded a 1.97 ERA after becoming the team’s starting pitcher, making him MLB’s first starter to earn a sub-2.00 ERA since 2022, as well as 216 strikeouts in 187.2 innings.
He is yet to make it into the postseason with the Pirates, however, after they finished bottom of the National League Central two seasons on the bounce with a miserable overall record of 147-177.
Skenes was surrounded by Dunne and his friends and family for the Cy Young announcement, with the group seen celebrating at someone’s home Tuesday night.
Last year his girlfriend suffered an awkward moment after fans claimed she was more thrilled about his Rookie of the Year win than the emotionless pitcher.
