The Windup: Pirates tempted to shut Skenes down? (2024)

The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s daily MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.

Danny Jansen could do the unprecedented next week. In other news: Would the Pirates shut Paul Skenes down? And: The Brewers are defying all logic, while the AL East is shaping up to be a thriller. I’mLevi Weaver, here withKen Rosenthal— welcome to The Windup!

Oddities: Wait, Jansen could do what?

Never in MLB history has a player played for both teams in the same game. Active rosters are set before first pitch, so even if a mid-game trade happened, a player couldn’t just switch dugouts.

But itmighthappen a week from today. Danny Jansen started for Toronto on June 26, and was at bat when rain delayed — then suspended — their game against Boston.That game is being resumed on Monday, and guess what? Jansen has since been traded to the Red Sox.

It’s very bizarre, but completely within the rules. Who better tountangle the ramificationsthan Jayson Stark? In fact, Jayson was so thorough that I’ll just tell you to click that link and revel in the weirdness.

In the meantime, here are the closest comparisons we have:

• In the third inning of a day game at Wrigley field in 1982, Joel Youngblood singled moments before beingtraded to the Montreal Expos. Montreal was a bit shorthanded for their night game in Philadelphia, so Youngblood hustled to the airport, caught a flight, and arrived at the ballpark just in time to hit a seventh-inning pinch-hit single. Wilder yet: Both hits came off future Hall of Famers — Fergie Jenkins and Steve Carlton.Youngblood was the first — and last — MLB player to have hits for two teams on the same day, but not the first toplayfor two teams on the same day.
• In 1922, Cliff Heathcote played Game 1 of a doubleheader in center field for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Cubs, who employed a right fielder named Max Flack. Between games, the two were traded for one another, and both players suited up in Game 2. But neither Heathcote nor Flack got a hit in the first game (Heathcote went 2-for-4 and Flack went 1-for-4 in the second game).

Jansen didn’t get a hit for the Blue Jays before the rain delay, so he won’t get hits for both teams. The one time that did happen was in the minor leagues. Starktells you all about it.

Ken’s Notebook: Pittsburgh tempted to shut Skenes down?

Frommy story todaywithThe Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt and Zack Meisel:

With playoff odds below 1 percent, the Pittsburgh Pirates easily could justify shutting down their electrifying ace, right-hander Paul Skenes.

This is Skenes’ first full professional season. He has thrown 125 1/3 innings between the majors and minors, nearly as many as he did a year ago between LSU and his brief debut in the Pirates’ system. By ending Skenes’ brilliant rookie campaign, team officials could cite the protection of Skenes’ long-term health and preservation of him for a potential playoff run in 2025.

They also could operate with a compelling ulterior motive — the possible prevention of Skenes from finishing first or second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, an outcome that would deprive him of gaining a full year of service time and keep him in Pittsburgh for at least one additional season.

The Pirates currently have no such plans, according to sources briefed on their thinking. They have no set innings limit for Skenes. The only restriction they are considering, assuming Skenes stays healthy, is potentially shortening his outings. The Chicago White Sox are taking just that approach with left-hander Garrett Crochet, who is working as a starter for the first time in his professional career.

Skenes, 22, did not make his major-league debut until May 11, but could automatically earn a full year of service under a rule adopted by the league and players’ union in the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. The rule, designed to discourage teams from manipulating the service time of top young players, rewards the top two finishers in each league’s Rookie of the Year voting, regardless of how many days they spend in the majors.

Which is how Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee, runners-up for the AL rookie award in 2022 and ‘23, respectively, received full years of service even though they did not meet the typical requirement of 172 days out of a 187-day season.

The new rule effectively puts voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America in position to deprive a low-revenue team such as the Pirates an extra year of a superstar player — a far more consequential outcome than the individual cash bonuses that are frequently tied to the awards.

For the Pirates, the difference between keeping Skenes for five more years and six would be enormous.As a club that generally operates with a bottom-five payroll, the chances of Pittsburgh signing Skenes to a lucrative extension would be extremely low. The difference for Skenes, too, could be immense. His last year of arbitration could turn into the first year of a free-agent payday, and he would become eligible for the open market after his age 27 season rather than his age 28. By continuing his ascent as a generational talent, he would be in position for a historic contract.

Team Efforts: Brewers keep chugging along

Corbin Burnes. Christian Yelich. Brandon Woodruff. J.B. Bukauskas. Trevor Megill. Robert Gasser. Rob Zastryzny. Enoli Paredes. And for that matter, Craig Counsell. What do they all have in common?

None of them factored into the Brewers’ sweep of the AL Central-leading Guardians over the weekend. Or the series split with the vaunted Dodgers before that. Or the series win over the Reds or the sweep of the Braves — both wild-card contenders — before that.Some are elsewhere, others are injured, but the Brewers keep winning anyway.

For the casual fan outside the Milwaukee area, maybe some of those names don’t seem to jump out, so here’s a brief look at some injured Brewers pitchers:

• J.B. Bukauskas: 1.50 ERA, 6 IP
• Robert Gasser: 2.57 ERA, 28 IP
• Trevor Megill: 2.41 ERA, 33 2/3 IP
• Enoli Paredes: 1.08 ERA, 16 2/3 IP
• Brandon Woodruff: N/A
• Rob Zastryzny: 1.17 ERA, 7 2/3 IP

That’s to say nothing of closer Devin Williams, who had a stress fracture in his back and didn’t pitch until July 28.

So, how are they doing it?

Jackson Chourio has been a huge factor as hecontinues a breakout second half. William Contreras has continued a strong 2024, and Willy Adames entered last night’s game with an .883 OPS in the second half.

On the mound, Joel Payamps has rebounded and Bryan Hudson has a 1.65 ERA in 38 games of relief. Freddy Peralta might be the most well-known name in the rotation, but Tobias Myers has a 1.98 ERA in five second-half starts.

You might not recognize a few of these names, but you’re going to see them on national broadcasts in October. The Fightin’ Pat Murphys are one of baseball’s best stories this year.

Standings Watch: AL East should be fun

The AL East is shaping up to be the story of September.

The Yankees and Orioles(both 73-52)have spent all summer neck and neck.New York has held the division lead for 67 days, and Baltimore 36 (there have also been 21 days that ended in a tie for first).

It might feel a lot like David vs. Goliath. The Yankees are, well, the Yankees. Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto lead a perennial win-or-bust roster. The Orioles’ strength lies in their youth, with Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez now producing like All-Stars, with Jackson Holliday and others on the rise to join the ranks.

It’s not that simple, of course. The Orioles won more games in 2023 than anyone but Atlanta, going 101-61 before falling in the ALDS to the eventual champions. They’re young, but they’re relatively battle tested at this point. Meanwhile, the Yankees are top-heavy, and their trade deadline acquisitions haven’t really panned out (though — good news — it appears that Jazz Chisholm Jr. could return in September).

While there are other interesting division races — Minnesota trails Cleveland by two games, and the Padres sit three behind the Dodgers —this one has all the intrigue you could ask for as we careen toward the last month of the season.

Handshakes and High Fives

Grant Brisbee is great when he’s being funny (which is always). But —from Friday, just before the Giants played their last series at the Oakland Coliseum — allow me to suggest that he is exquisitewhen he’s a bit angry.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Dodgers put a starting pitcher on the IL. Tyler Glasnow hastendinitis in his elbow. Freddie Freeman (finger)might not be far behind.

Also added to the IL over the weekend: Hunter Greene of the Reds (elbow soreness), Astros set-up man Ryan Pressly (lower back strain) and Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (lat strain).

It was Player’s Weekend this weekend. Here weresome of the equipment designswe got to see, and here’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. “paying it forward” to the next generation.

If you like our Baseball Card of the Week series, good news:The Athleticis expanding our coverage of sports memorabilia and collectibles!You can find out more here, and we lead with a great story on theMickey Mantle “rookie” cardthat started a craze.

Most-clicked in Friday’s newsletter: Cody Stavenhagen’s piece on Pinky Deras,the greatest Little Leaguer ever.

Most-read MLB story on the website yesterday: ☝️

Sign up for our other newsletters: The Pulse|The Athletic FC️|The Bounce|Full Time|Prime Tire|Scoop City|Until Saturday

(Top photo of Skenes: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)