Pirates GM acknowledges challenges of 'rebuild,' return of manager Derek Shelton

With the Pittsburgh Pirates being on pace to lose 99 games, general manager Ben Cherington used the word “rebuild” in public for the first time and gave a vote of confidence Friday to Derek Shelton.

The Pirates manager made waves earlier this week during a guest appearance on 93.7 FM, when he said he felt “very secure” about his job status. When asked directly, Cherington confirmed Shelton is under contract in 2023 and said he will return next season.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington on manager Derek Shelton’s future pic.twitter.com/unfjaYIUXG

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“He is, and yes,” Cherington said. “I love working with Shelty and this staff. They work their tails off every day. They care so much about getting this right, getting better. Outcomes are hard on them, too. They’re hard on everybody. He’s been consistently open to any piece of feedback and hopefully I’m open to any piece of feedback he has for me. I think we help each other. I’m so confident at the level of effort every day this staff puts in to help us get better. I’m looking forward to this group benefiting from the fruits of their labor because I think they will as our roster matures and gets stronger. Look forward to that.”

The Pirates (46-72) were in last place in the NL Central and had the fourth-worst record in baseball entering the start of their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (46-70), yet Cherington shouldered most of the blame for the results because of personnel moves made to bolster a farm system now ranked among the top 10.

Cherington has avoided using the R-word to describe the overhaul of the major-league roster that included trading homegrown All-Stars Starling Marte, Josh Bell and Adam Frazier, as well as pitchers Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes, for prospects.

But Cherington acknowledged that while the trades helped stock the farm system with talent, it has had a negative impact on the major-league roster. The Pirates had the worst record in baseball (19-41) in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 and finished 61-101 last year.

“Look, in baseball operations, we’ve made decisions, player-personnel decisions that we believe fit what we need to do to get to winning as fast as we can and sustain that,” Cherington said. “We made a decision to go down a path because we believe we need more players, more talent and to build a stronger base of players that can be here for a longer period of time. And we believe that’s still the best chance we have to get to winning as quickly as possible and sustain it.

“Having said that, most of those decisions were made in a way that didn’t necessarily help the team the next day at the major-league level. I acknowledge that. … So I think we’re at a moment in time that progress should not be measured, certainly entirely by wins and losses. That doesn’t mean that the games aren’t important. We want to win the games, but I don’t think right now that that’s the best way to measure.”

Cherington said he understands how Pirates fans can be disillusioned by the teardown and rebuild process. That point was exacerbated when many voiced their agreement with the comments by Boston Red Sox color analyst Dennis Eckersley, who called the Pirates’ payroll “pathetic” and their lineup a “hodgepodge of nothingness.”

Where Cherington said he was “disappointed for our players that anybody would speak about a player in the major leagues or any professional player, frankly, in that way,” he called the reaction of Pirates players “appropriate.” Reliever Wil Crowe called Eckersley’s criticism “bush league.”

Cherington focused on the improvements he has seen this season, starting with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes signing an eight-year, $70 million contract, the progress of starting pitchers Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker, the impact of rookies like Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras and a better effort on defense and running the bases.

“Well, first of all, when the outcomes aren’t going our way, it’s frustrating for all of us,” Cherington said. “I know it’s frustrating for our fans. Certainly frustrating for us. Anybody who cares about the team, it’s frustrating. It’s also what gets us up every day, motivated to do something about it. We’re working as hard as we possibly can to make our situation better as soon as we can.

“I also know, and we all know, in baseball, there’s just no single solution. There’s no single move or shortcut that’s going to get us from Point A to Point B. It’s a lot of stuff that adds up over time, and all of sudden, you’re in a better spot and you’re winning games. We really do believe, organizationally, we’re making progress.”