Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Money to build winner will be there when needed

NORTH PORT, Fla. — Ben Cherington made a remark on the day he was hired as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager that raised the eyebrows of many fans.

Cherington said Nov. 18 he felt he would have the resources necessary to win in Pittsburgh.

Nearly two months later, the Pirates are on course to open the season with the lowest player payroll among the 30 major league clubs. The figure is projected to be $52 million.

So does Cherington still believe owner Bob Nutting will provide the money to eventually build a competitive club?

Cherington doubled down on his stance Sunday during Major League Baseball’s Spring Training Media Day at CoolToday Park, the Atlanta Braves’ new spring home.

“I really think the total investment in the baseball operation is not ‘just enough’ but really competitive with the rest of the teams in the major leagues,” Cherington said. “We want to make investments in technology and people. The budget structure is there to be able to do that.

“The reallocation of those resources may change over time, but I’m really confident and feel good about the resources being there when we need them (for player payroll).”

Cherington believes the Pirates match up well with other clubs when it comes to budgets for departments such as scouting, player development and analytics.

Nevertheless, the $52-million payroll seems comically low coming in the same season former Pirates ace Gerrit Cole will begin a nine-year, $324-million contract with the New York Yankees. That is the largest contract ever given to a pitcher.

Nutting was heavily criticized for not giving former GM Neal Huntington the money necessary to make a major trade when the Pirates were contending for the National League Central title from 2013-15.

The Pirates wound up finishing in second place each season and being relegated to the winner-take-all wild card game. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card game in 2013 but lost to the San Francisco Giants in ‘14 and Chicago Cubs in ‘15.

Yet, Cherington believes the Pirates won’t be hamstrung the next time they get into a pennant race.

“In relation to player payroll, I’m confident that will increase over time as we get deeper into building and opportunities exist to add to our group,” Cherington said. “I’m confident we’ll have to build a winning team.”

When that time might come is an open question.

The Pirates certainly don’t look like contenders this season, almost universally picked to finish in last place in the NL Central for the second year in a row after having a 69-93 record last season. They have finished under .500 in three of the past four seasons.

“We’re not going to key in on what day that will happen,” Cherington said. “The timeline is we’re going to try to get there as soon as we can and as fast as we can. That’s an everyday goal.”