Should the organization have more patience with Cherington? Does Don Kelly deserve a shot at a full season?
The biggest question that will need to be answered for the 2025-2026 Pirates offseason will be if General Manager Ben Cherington will get yet another undeserving chance to try and get this franchise back to the playoffs, and if Manager Don Kelly, who took over for the scapegoated Derek Shelton with the Pittsburgh Pirates basically out of the playoff picture in early May, will get the opportunity to lead the 26-man roster to a stronger start next season that could lead to a playoff push.
Cherington made some rather vague comments about whether he will be back in 2026 this past Sunday when he gave his final 20 minute availability to the press for this season, sounding relatively positive but certainly not 100% confident.
“I’m certainly doing the job that way,” Cherington said. “We talk all the time. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary.” Cherington would also express his continued desire to win.
“I don’t do the job because of the job. I do the job because I want to be a part of making this thing work.”
When it comes to Don Kelly, Cherington seemed to be rather pleased he has done, and if it’s up to him next year, Kelly will also be back.
“My view of the job that Donnie’s done is one that’s not surprising to me,” Cherington said. “I had confidence when he took the job in May that he would do a really good job. He’s an excellent communicator. He’s dogged in his approach to the job. He has a high self-belief. He believes in people.”
Cherington also reiterated that he doesn’t “regret the recommendation” of bringing back former Manager Derek Shelton.
“We learn from everything,” Cherington said. “At the time, based on the information I had, I felt like that was the right recommendation for the Pirates, and we also learned from it and I learned from it. We got into the season and felt like we had to make a change. Learn from everything, get better, take responsibility.”
I think it’s pretty fair to say that Pirates fans, nor owner Bob Nutting (who is the main antagonist, however), should have any more patience for Cherington to continue to learn from his multitude of mistakes.
Category: General Sports
