Ben Cherington, Matt Arnold reportedly among GM candidates for Pirates

MLB’s annual general managers meetings began Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz., even though the Pirates don’t have a general manager at the moment.

However, indications are the Pirates are getting close to filling the vacancy created when Neal Huntington was fired Oct. 28 after 12 years on the job.

The New York Post reported the Pirates have narrowed the field of finalists to three. Former Boston Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and Milwaukee Brewers vice president and assistant GM Matt Arnold were identified as two of the finalists.

That Cherington’s name would appear on the Pirates’ short list is ironic. He and Huntington were teammates on the Amherst baseball team.

On the surface, it seems a bit of a surprise Cherington would want to come to Pittsburgh. After all, he was the GM when the Red Sox won the 2013 World Series and, if he gets the Pirates’ job, would be coming to a much smaller market and a franchise with a far lower player payroll.

Cherington, the Toronto Blue Jays’ vice president of baseball operations, turned down opportunities to interview for the GM job with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants last winter.

However, the 45-year-old is said to want the opportunity to build an organization from the ground up. Cherington was stung by criticism in Boston his World Series-winning roster was primarily the result of work done by his predecessor, Theo Epstein, before he left the Red Sox for the Chicago Cubs prior to the start of the 2013 season.

Cherington was in the GM role until being fired Aug. 18, 2015, and being replaced by Dave Dombrowski.

Yet Boston’s title was sparked, in part, by Cherington’s moves the previous offseason. He signed seven free agents that winter: right-hander Ryan Dempster, reliever Koji Uehara, catcher David Ross, first baseman Mike Napoli, shortstop Stephen Drew and outfielders Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino.

The Red Sox fell to last place in the American League East in 2014, though, and Cherington was axed the following season with Boston on its way to another finish in the division basement.

Cherington’s biggest misstep was giving a five-year, $95-million contract to third baseman Pablo Sandoval in free agency in November 2014. The “Kung Fu Panda” was released after two-plus seasons and returned to the San Francisco Giants.

Cherington spent a year on the faculty of the sport management program at Columbia before returning to baseball in his role with the Blue Jays in 2016.

Cherington began his professional baseball career as an advance scout with the Cleveland Indians in 1998 before joining the Red Sox the following year. He eventually worked his way up to player development director following stints as an area scout, baseball operations assistant and coordinator of international scouting.

When Epstein abruptly resigned following the 2005 season, Cherington and assistant GM Jed Hoyer were named co-GMs. Epstein had a change of heart and returned Jan. 19, 2006, and Cherington received a promotion to executive VP of player personnel. In 2009, he was elevated to executive VP and assistant GM when Hoyer left to become the San Diego Padres GM.

Cherington’s wife, Tyler, is a senior vice president with the Goldklang Group, which owns and operates minor league franchises. She is the daughter of longtime Chicago White Sox scout John Tumminia.

Unlike Cherington, Arnold does not have any GM experience. However, his attractiveness to the Pirates is he has worked for two of the most successful small-market franchises in MLB: Tampa Bay and Milwaukee.

Arnold just completed his fourth season as the right-hand man of Brewers GM David Stearns. The Brewers have made the postseason each of the last two seasons, including winning the National League Central in 2018, despite playing in a market smaller than Pittsburgh.

Stearns often has said he considers Arnold a peer rather than a subordinate.

Arnold joined the Rays as a scout in 2007 and eventually worked his way up to director of professional scouting before being named director of player personnel.

During those nine seasons, the Rays reached the postseason four times. They won the American League East twice and reached the World Series in 2008, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Arnold, 41, graduated with an economics degree from Cal-Santa Barbara and worked in baseball operations with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers before joining the Rays.