Paul Skenes didn't hear Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington say that trading the reigning National League Rookie of the Year to give the last-place club an influx of much-needed position player talent is "not at all part of the conversation."
When someone relayed Cherington's comments to him, the 22-year-old ace laughed.
"It doesn't affect anything," Skenes told The Associated Press late Friday night after the Pirates rallied for a 6-5, 10-inning win over the Milwaukee Brewers. "Anybody can play GM."
If Skenes, who celebrated his first anniversary in the majors two weeks ago, has learned anything during his rise to stardom over the past three years, it's that noise is not the same as news.