That thinking drove ESPN baseball insider Jeff Passan to explain a similar line of thinking, as he pointed out that Skenes is virtually guaranteed to leave the Pirates when he becomes eligible for free agency, given the state of the franchise. By trading him now, Passan argued, the team could recoup a lot of his future value before that happens.

But regardless if Ryan is traded, the Pirates will also inquire about higher ranking prospects as well as major leaguers. This would include Hyeseong Kim and recently promoted No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing. No. 2 and 3 prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope are also worth watching though their debuts are not imminent.

Amid this news, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicted the Pirates will be sellers at this year's deadline, but not with Skenes. "There may come a day when the Pirates have to entertain the possibility of trading Paul Skenes, but things aren't yet there," he wrote.