Paul Skenes is a blessing and a curse, per Pirates insider

Paul Skenes' draft pick might just be a defining moment in the Pittsburgh Pirates' franchise history. The 22-year-old showed the world his immense prowess earning himself a Rookie of the Year award with record-breaking statistics. Now with more eyes on them, the Pirates' management needs to get their strategies straight.

Speaking on DK's "Daily Shot of Pirates" podcast, host Dejan Kovacevic spoke about the Pirates franchise and its fanbase expecting more after getting Skenes in their rotation. Because of the ace, there is much more hype and expectation around the team and how they try to build their team.

"There's a blessing and a curse that comes with having a Paul Skenes. The blessings are obvious, but the curse is that your expectations go up on the outside, even if you don’t want them to.

"Your team just landed the ringer; your team got the cheat code. Everybody wants to watch your team at least once every five days because of that. Your team is going to be a real-life discussion point in a way that they haven’t been in more than a decade," Kovacevic said. [1:55]

Kovacevic then extended the conversation to comments from former Pittsburgh executive and current MLB analyst, Jim Bowden. Speaking on MLB Network, Bowden urged the team to go all in while they have the young trio of Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller.

"If you're the Pirates, and you built this rotation, you're the Mariners, and you have one of the top three rotations of baseball, this is when you have to go all in. You have to go all in," Bowden said.

Pirates have been quieter than other NL Central teams

A key first step to becoming a challenger is becoming more competitive in your own division. While the other teams in the NL Central have gone out and acquired some big stars, Pittsburgh has been awfully quiet without any major transactions.

The Chicago Cubs traded Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros while the Cincinnati Reds have brought in veteran manager Terry Francona, who is already looking to make changes to their setup. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers received Nestor Cortes Jr. in the Devin Williams trade and the St. Louis Cardinals are all but certain to trade Nolan Arenado for a good package.

The only major name to improve their offense was the acquisition of Spencer Horowitz via trade from the Cleveland Guardians. But having played just 97 games last year, Horowitz's 40 RBIs and 12 home runs aren't as attractive. With the 2025 MLB season creeping closer, Pittsburgh has some decisions to make if they are to make a push at winning their first-ever NL Central title.