I think if the Astros offer Brice Matthews, Jacob Melton, Walker Janek, Miguel Ullola, and Anderson Brito ( their top 5 prospects) the Pirates just laught at them and don't even bother answering. Outside of Hunter Brown, nobody in this organization even opens the Pirates eyes about Skenes. Maybe Jeremy Pena, Spencer Arrighetti, and Cam Smith? The Astros are the general manager of a local McDonalds thinking they are rich and Skenes is a top of the line Bentley.
Why is Skenes even being mentioned. There's zero chance for the Astros getting him...we have nothing to offer.
It was the national media that stoked suspicion that some bigger market team (NY) could possibly make one of the biggest trades ever to get him out of Pittsburgh. Normally stories like that (focusing solely on big market teams) would piss me off.... but the Pirates have done NOTHING over the last 15 years to try and actually win it all. When was the last time they signed any sort of free agent or made a buyers trade? They're also on record saying that within the current system, there is no incentive for them to spend more. Keep in mind, this is a team that plays in a market that will always support winners well. This is a historic franchise. They have one of the best young arms of this generation... and because the economics of baseball are so ****ed up, the media has to look for him to get on a team of relevance or its a total utter waste.