Cherington: ‘We’re not winning enough’
That the Pittsburgh Pirates followed back-to-back 100loss seasons with successive 76-win seasons might be viewed as progress, but general manager Ben Cherington isn’t about celebrate.
Not when the Pirates have posted six consecutive losing seasons. Not when they have missed the playoffs nine years in a row. And not after they were buyers at the trade deadline, then suffered an epic collapse that included a 10-game losing streak and nine one-run losses on their way to a last-place finish in the NL Central Division.
“I think there’s clear evidence progress has been made and clearly not enough,” Cherington said Wednesday afternoon in a 46-minute news conference to reflect on the season and outline plans for the offseason. “We are winning more games. We’re not winning enough. It has to happen better and faster.”
To expedite that process, Cherington made changes to the coaching staff by firing hitting coach Andy Haines, bullpen coach Justin Meccage and strength and conditioning coach Adam Vish. The Pirates also hired Max Kwan as their international scouting director and soon will begin interviewing candidates for two other director openings, in research and development and pro scouting.
Cherington, however, remains steadfast in his support of manager Derek Shelton, who has a 294-414 record (.415) in five seasons. Cherington said he recommended to Pirates chairman Bob Nutting and team president Travis Williams that Shelton return and suggested that they enter the 2025 season “accountable together.”
“I believe he can help lead us toward winning in 2025,” Cherington said of Shelton. “I believe he already does a lot of the aspects of the job very well and at a high level. I believe he works as hard as any manager in the game, and I certainly believe he cares as much as any manager in the game. Like all of us, certainly including me, he has targets that he needs to improve on — and I believe he is fully aware of those. I believe he’s committed to working on those, and I believe he understands the team needs to ultimately respond to him.”
Cherington expressed excitement for the challenge of taking the Pirates to the postseason for the first time since the three consecutive wildcard teams from 2013-15.
“I’m confident because I’m fully energized by the job, by the task,” Cherington said. “It’s hard, it’s a hard job and it’s not supposed to be easy. But that’s why we do it. I understand frustration. I understand there are a lot of people out there who care about the Pirates and a lot of different stakeholders who care about the Pirates, including people in this room, certainly including the fans, people inside the organization and certainly our players, staff and ownership.
“All of those people care a lot about the Pirates, so when the outcomes aren’t yet what I want them to be, what we want them to be, there is going to be frustration that comes from that. I’m fully aware of that, and I accept that. I’m just going to keep focused on what I can do to make it better every day, and I know I need to. That will be our sole focus this offseason.”
Pointing to the Pirates’ inability to either build leads or protect them, Cherington vowed to improve the major- league roster next season, specifically with position players and the bullpen. And he reiterated the Pirates, whose $86.4 million Opening Day payroll ranked 29th out of 30 major-league teams this past season, are most likely to do so without making a major splash in free agency but rather through the continued development of prospects and shrewd trades.
“I don’t know what the payroll’s going to be next year,” Cherington said. “It has increased each year that I’ve been here. I expect that will be the case next year. I also know that it’s just not what’s going to drive winning here the most. That’s mostly because just simply of the structure of the game in a place like Pittsburgh to win.”
The Pirates free up about $36.25 million spent in free agency on one-year deals with reliever Aroldis Chapman, catcher Yasmani Grandal, left-handed starting pitchers Marco Gonzales and Martin Perez, center fielder Michael A. Taylor and first baseman Rowdy Tellez.
The payroll will increase internally, however, with raises kicking in on the longterm deals signed by All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds ($12.25 million) and starting pitcher Mitch Keller ($15.412 million). Plus, nine players are eligible for arbitration.
If Cherington has a target for improvement, he won’t settle for less than making the postseason. And he placed the bull’s-eye on himself.
“I would say that we need to get better, and we need to get better faster. Ultimately, that falls on me. I’m responsible for all of baseball operations,” Cherington said. “If we’re talking about wins and losses, which is ultimately what we need to improve, that’s going to be driven in Pittsburgh, certainly in part, by improvement of players at the major-league level but also largely through continuing to be better at the draft and getting more out of our international scouting operation. Getting more out of trades, getting more out of minor-league player development. All of that matters, absolutely. And, ultimately, I’m responsible for all of that.”