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Pittsburgh Pirates SP Paul Skenes and girlfriend Livvy Dunne
Anytime a power hitter or ace pitcher is rumored to be on the trade block, the New York Yankees are seemingly always considered a frontrunner to make a move for them.
And while the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have finished in last place in the NL Central the last two seasons, have gone out of their way to make it known they don’t plan to trade star pitcher Paul Skenes, that hasn’t stopped rumors from spreading that Skenes could be on the move.
The other 29 MLB teams would kill to have Skenes on their roster, and the Pirates could fetch a king’s ransom if they choose to move him, especially from the Yankees.
Livvy Dunne May Be Key to Yankees Landing Skenes
GettyPittsburgh Pirates SP Paul Skenes and girlfriend Livvy Dunne
It doesn’t appear that the Skenes to the Yankees rumors will be dying down any time soon.
And after a recent report from John Heyman of the New York Post, Skenes’ girlfriend Livvy Dunne could be what eventually gets Skenes, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, into pinstripes.
“True or not, some Yankees people see hope well down the road since Skenes’ girlfriend, model and gymnast Livvy Dunne, lives in New York,” Heyman wrote. “The Yankees originally were energized last summer by reports Dunne tried to buy Babe Ruth’s Upper West Side apartment, which is likely an interesting coincidence.
“While some Yankees people are heartened by Dunne’s interest in New York, the Pirates have contractual control for three more years after this one. And for the record, Pirates people detect no New York preference by Skenes, who bought a home near Palm Beach, Fla., went to LSU and is from Orange County, Calif.”
It’s not known how much Dunne’s New York City connection will truly affect Skenes and where he ends up, but the Yankees seem to think it at least increases their odds of landing the 23-year-old flamethrower.
Skenes Wants to be a Yankee
GettyThe Team USA schedule for the WBC continues with Paul Skenes on the mound for Game 3.
NJ.com’s Randy Miller reported back in November that Skenes was unhappy with his current situation in Pittsburgh and that he ultimately wanted to end up in New York.
“According to a Pirates teammate who recently spoke with NJ Advance Media, Skenes has ‘no confidence the Pirates ever are going to win’ with him in Pittsburgh, and he’s ‘hoping for a trade’ well before he can become a free agent after the 2029 season,” Miller wrote.
“’Trust me, he wants to play for the Yankees,’ the Skenes teammate said. ‘I’ve heard him say it multiple times.’”
According to Heyman, the Yankees tried to acquire Skenes at the trade deadline last season. However, they were reportedly “shut down so quickly the Pirates didn’t even listen to the offer.”
New York was prepared to offer a trade package of four of their top prospects — pitcher Cam Schlittler, infielder George Lombard Jr., outfielder Spencer Jones, and right-handed pitcher Carlos Lagrange were believed to be the names who would’ve been moved — for Skenes, per Heyman.
Given their aggressiveness in going after Skenes last year, it would surprise no one if they tried to make another run at the All-Star ace again this year.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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