The New York Yankees are holding out hope that Livvy Dunne could play a key role in helping acquire Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes via a blockbuster trade.

Though Skenes — who endured a nightmarish start to his 2026 MLB campaign — has notched no shortage of individual success in the majors, the hard-throwing righty hasn’t even come close to reaching the playoffs with the Pirates. Pittsburgh is currently mired in a run of seven consecutive losing seasons while reaching the postseason only three times since 1992.

Given Pittsburgh’s failure to build a winning ballclub around Skenes, some have speculated that he’d prefer to play for a championship contender.

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Just hours before Skenes secured his place as the second-youngest unanimous Cy Young Award winner in MLB history this past offseason, an unnamed Pirates player told NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller that the 23-year-old had privately voiced his ambition to join the Yankees.

According to the report, Skenes wanted to be dealt long before reaching free agency after the 2029 season, expressing doubts about the Pirates’ capacity to compete during his tenure in Pittsburgh.

Dunne unintentionally added further fuel to the rumors by purchasing a $1.95 million condo in Manhattan’s West Village last November. Given the fact that his girlfriend is already based in the Big Apple, members of the Yankees staff reportedly suggested it may not be long until Skenes joins her in New York.

“True or not, some Yankees people see hope well down the road since Skenes’ girlfriend, model and gymnast Livvy Dunne, lives in New York,” the New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote earlier this week.

If Heyman’s reports are true, this wouldn’t be the first time that Dunne has influenced Skenes’ career. Off the mound, his father Craig noted that the pitcher continues to receive invaluable assistance from his partner.

“I think she’s definitely helped him on the public side of things … whether it’s the social media side of getting visibility and using that platform more,” Craig told Mirror U.S. Sports.

“Because he’s not really active on it even right now, but he’s more so now than he was even a few years ago.”

According to Heyman, the Yankees pulled out all the stops at last year’s trade deadline in an attempt to acquire Skenes’ talents.

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“As of the deadline, their best prospect package might have included some combination of Cam Schlittler (who’s now establishing himself as a potential ace), George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and Carlos Lagrange, or possibly others,” Heyman added.

“So expect the Yankees to circle back if they ever detect even a glimmer of an opening.”

Yet Skenes quickly dismissed the unfounded speculation, insisting that he was not eyeing a trade to the Yankees. “There’s a reason [ESPN baseball insider] Jeff Passan didn’t write about [it], I’ll say that,” he said.

“Rumors are rumors. I was frustrated for a little bit, but it doesn’t really matter. I’ve had some time to think about it, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to speak to the Pittsburgh media and clear the air over nothing, basically. It is what it is.”