Fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates have long been dissatisfied by the team’s lack of star power relative to the rest of Major League Baseball.

The team’s on-field performance has suffered since Andrew McCutchen’s departure and subsequent return, and as a result, the Pirates held the first overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft.

They used that pick on highly regarded Paul Skenes, a promising two-way player for the Pirates, but his future with the team is uncertain.

Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Los Angeles Angels will expire after the upcoming season, making him a free agent.

He has made it obvious he has no intention of re-signing with the team, and while many predicted he would be traded before the deadline, no team put together a good enough offer.

Now, though, teams are reportedly engaged in a bidding wаr to sign the Japanese sensation, and the Pirates are among those most intrigued and equipped with the necessary cap space to make a serious offer.

If the Pirates are successful in acquiring Ohtani, he will undoubtedly force Skenes to make some changes to his game because he is possibly the best two-way player in Major League Baseball ever.

Skenes has begun his transformation into a pure pitcher.

Skenes has left no room for debate about where he hopes his future with the organization stands, even though it is still unclear whether the team will sign Ohtani.

After a period of not striking, “my body felt the best it has ever felt,” Skenes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Because “that” requires so much effort, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.It’s difficult to perform both [pitching and hitting] since each requires so much energy. I believe there was some overlap between the two, especially during times when I was catching as well.

Despite the Pirates’ assurances that they saw no reason for him to stop being a two-way player, Skenes is now focusing only on his pitching.