Paul Skenes’ debut season with the Pittsburgh Pirates has been one of the best storylines in the MLB. Baseball writer Ken Rosenthal suggested that there’s a “temptation” for the Buccos to make it come to an end sooner than expected.

Pittsburgh surprised for much of the year, jumping out to a 56-54 record through 110 games. That output had the team firmly in the mix to land a wildcard spot.

The club then dropped 10 straight contests and those playoff hopes took a huge blow.

As of this writing, the Pirates sit at 58-66 and eight games behind the Braves for the final wildcard bid. Barring a major turnaround, the team’s postseason chances have effectively been dashed.

For that reason, a change in thinking could soon be seen.

Paul Skenes was called up in mid-May, immediately landing a spot in the starting rotation. Through 16 games, he’s posted a 7-2 record with 121 strikeouts across 98 innings.

His 2.30 ERA is 0.19 points below current ERA leader Tarik Skubal, though the MLB notes that Skenes doesn’t currently qualify for the ERA title.

The pitcher seems a shoo-in to earn Rookie of the Year honors given that production, but there’s incentive for the Pirates to remove him from the race.

“If he doesn’t finish in the Top 2 of Rookie of the Year, then he doesn’t get an extra year of service… because he came up late,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “If he finishes Top 2 Rookie of the Year, they might only have him for five more years instead of six.”

Essentially, this year wouldn’t count against him!

It’s worth noting that, at this time, Pittsburgh is set to continue utilizing its young star though we could see his volume decrease over the final two month of the season.

But there is incentive to shut him down early if the Pirates truly believe they’re out of the playoff hunt.

It will be interesting to see how the organization moves forward with Skenes in 2024. If the team continues to fall down the standings, it could be worth considering.