Additionally, the Pirates have an All-Star caliber veteran in outfielder Bryan Reynolds, a physically-gifted—and perhaps future All-Star—in 26-year-old Oneil Cruz, and a farm system with promising young bats and arms that MLB.com ranked among baseball's top-15 this spring.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent years in the MLB basement, and Paul Skenes is sending a clear message about how that cannot continue. Skenes sent what sounded like an urgent message about his expectations for the Pirates in a new interview.