Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Imagesn

Paul Skenes Reacts to Derek Shelton Firing With a Quiet Message for the Pirates Front Office

"I mean, we’re 12-26"

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Imagesn

The Pittsburgh Pirates made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, parting ways with manager Derek Shelton amid a dismal 13-26 start to the 2025 season. While the move didn’t come as a surprise, it still marked another low point for a franchise that continues to spin its wheels, and one of its brightest stars didn’t hold back when asked about it.

Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and already the face of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, didn’t sugarcoat his reaction.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t shocked,” Skenes said, addressing reporters during the team’s off day on Thursday, the same day Shelton was officially dismissed. “At the end of the day, I mean, we’re 12-26. Someone’s gotta be held accountable.”

“Unfortunately, right now, it’s him. That’s just kind of how it goes.”

THIS
reaction from #Pirates Paul Skenes on managerial change pic.twitter.com/7b1e90zSYo
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) May 9, 2025

For a rookie just over a year into his Major League career, Skenes has quickly established himself as a leader, not just by how he pitches, but by the expectations he sets. Expectations that, frankly, the rest of the organization hasn’t matched.

ALSO READ: Pirates Fans Show Up for Paul Skenes Bobblehead, Team Doesn’t Show Up at All

“If nothing else, we’re going to grow,” he said. “We better grow. If we don’t grow, it’s a completely lost season.” Skenes isn’t the kind to vent publicly, but the message beneath his calm tone was clear: something needs to change, and fast.

He’s already compiled a solid resume – NL Rookie of the Year, an All-Star Game start, Cy Young votes – and he’s really just getting started. But watching that level of talent thrive in a system that refuses to invest in winning is as frustrating for fans as it likely is for him.

This firing won’t fix the problems in Pittsburgh. It won’t upgrade the roster, it won’t spark spending, and it won’t turn the team into contenders overnight. But for Skenes, a player who competes with purpose every time he takes the mound, it may just be the beginning of holding those above him accountable.

ALSO READ: Does Firing Derek Shelton Actually Solve the Pirates’ Problems?

He wants to win. Whether the organization is ready to match that urgency remains to be seen.

Derek Shelton

Paul Skenes

Pirates

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.