Proposed Dodgers-Pirates Paul Skenes trade package would be ideal if it was realistic

The Pirates have shut the door on the possibility of trading Paul Skenes this season, but they'll probably have to reconsider if they waste even more of his years under team control by failing to build around him. It's pretty much inevitable that the Dodgers try to make a play at him if he gets to free agency, but they could also consider a trade, given that Skenes isn't a free agent until after 2029 and LA doesn't have a lot of avenues for their top prospects to grow.

Any package for Skenes would be monumental — the Juan Soto Nationals-Padres deal on steroids. Our proposal for Skenes included No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Kellon Lindsey, River Ryan, and Hyeseong Kim.

However, Jim Bowden of The Athletic also floated a few ideas for the Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, and Mets, all teams with at least relatively solid farm systems (subscription required). For the Dodgers, he threw out Rushing, Andy Pages, Jackson Ferris, and Landon Knack.

If that were realistic, the Dodgers could probably make that offer this season without much hesitation. But it also seems like far too little.

The Athletic's proposed Dodgers-Pirates trade for Paul Skenes would simply never happen

Bowden only named four players for each team, all of which included their No. 1 prospects. Four, when the Nationals got six for Soto with just over two years of team control left, wouldn't be enough to get it done.

Rushing is always going to be the starting point for a trade as big as this, but the Dodgers can't really move him this year since they released Austin Barnes, making Rushing the permanent backup catcher. Of course, the offseason could be a different story, and a cheap backup catcher won't be hard to find on the market.

Pages and Knack are respectable additions from Bowden who would both help the Pirates' offense and give them a pitcher to replace Skenes in the rotation (physically, at least, less so in skill). Ferris, acquired in the Michael Busch trade and the Dodgers' No. 5 prospect this year, would also make this tempting, but the Pirates would still have to milk LA for more.

If the noise around a Skenes trade increases, especially if teams that actually do have the money and the willingness to extend him get in on the action, fans should expect the Dodgers to be there too. Until that happens, though, they'll be better off waiting to see if he hits free agency.