It’s not even June yet, and trade rumors are already swirling—at least when it comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Once again sitting at the bottom of the NL Central, with an offense that fluctuates between ineffective and unwatchable, speculation has begun that the Pirates could move their star pitcher.
The talk has gotten loud enough that Pirates GM Ben Cherington had to publicly shoot down the rumors last week. Even so, the idea hasn’t stopped media members from imagining potential trade scenarios.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently pondered what a Skenes trade might involve. Mark Feinsand at MLB.com questioned whether the Pirates should even entertain such a move. Feinsand even cited two execs who believe trading Skenes could spark a fan revolt in Pittsburgh.
All of this puts the recent “revolt” among Cardinals fans—seen in sagging attendance—into perspective. In truth, coverage like this should remind St. Louis fans just how fortunate we’ve been over the last three decades.
Sure, the past few seasons have been disappointing. It’s frustrating that the Cardinals have missed the playoffs in five of the past nine years, especially for a team with such a strong legacy in the National League.
The frustration is real and justified. The franchise itself has acknowledged a decline after another October-less season in 2024. But with how surprisingly fun 2025 has been so far, it’s a good time to reflect: our problems, as fans, are first-world baseball problems compared to what other markets deal with.
Pittsburgh hasn’t had a winning season since 2018 or reached the playoffs since 2015. Since 1992, they’ve made the postseason just three times—and twice bowed out in the Wild Card round. They’ve seen talented players like Tyler Glasnow, Gerrit Cole, and Josh Bell leave, while others, like Ke’Bryan Hayes, haven’t panned out. Now, with Paul Skenes becoming a breakout star, rumors of his departure are already floating.
Imagine national writers speculating about the Cardinals trading Masyn Winn or Victor Scott II this year. Even that wouldn’t match the scale of dealing someone like Skenes, given his immense talent and profile.
And it’s not just the Pirates who offer perspective. The Cubs may have that historic 2016 championship, but they’ve only made the playoffs five times since 2008—and hadn’t even been to the World Series since 1945 before that. The Reds? Just four playoff appearances since 1995, with zero series wins. Even the Brewers, who’ve led the division lately, haven’t reached the World Series since 1982—and we all remember how that ended.
Of course, this isn’t news to Cardinals fans. We know we’ve had it good. That’s part of what makes recent years so aggravating. But stories like the Skenes trade speculation serve as valuable reminders of how lucky we are to support a franchise with such a deep and successful history.
And to top it off, this season—the first of what’s been called a rebuild—has brought unexpected excitement. As of May 25, the Cardinals were tied for the final National League wild card spot!
Should we celebrate the third wild card berth? Maybe not outright. But in times of frustration, the fact that we’re even in the mix is something to appreciate. Pirates fans, at this point, would probably throw a parade for it.
Last week, I wrote about how the Cardinals’ hot start might not last but deserves to be enjoyed while it does. The latest Skenes rumors serve as another reminder: cherish what we’ve got.
It could be far worse.
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