Is anything going to change in Pittsburgh for Ben Cherington and the Pirates? Winter meetings say not likely.
Although the MLB Winter Meetings aren’t usually as exciting and chaotic as NFL Free Agency, fans can at least get a feel for their team’s vision for the upcoming season based on hot stove rumors and specific signings and trades.
Even though there is still much offseason to go, the Pirates’ ownership and front office made a statement this week to the city’s loyal fans: their conservative and cheap approach will never change.
We were led to believe that this was the offseason the Pirates would be aggressive in the trade market and increase payroll. Although the former may be true, Ben Cherington doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body, as his idea of an ‘aggressive’ trade is an overpay for a low-ceiling first baseman who hasn’t even had an entire season of Major League experience and may very well end up being part of a platoon (due to his inability to hit left-handed pitching) rather than an everyday player.
Even if you love the trade – which acquired Spencer Horwitz, who also has experience playing second base (Shelton is doing cartwheels in his office over Horwitz’s positional flexibility!) from the Cleveland Guardians, for two A-ball pitching prospects and RHP Luis Ortiz (whom Cleveland could turn his All-Star potential into reality) – one thing is for sure, it’s a cheap option, as Horwitz will be making $800,000 this season and has a few years before he hits arbitration.
Ben Cherington has undoubtedly done much worse, as the Pirates have much organizational starting pitching depth. But letting go of three pitchers for only a mediocre return is concerning, considering that Cherington seems to have difficulty letting go of bunches of prospects, and he has yet to trade a top-10 prospect in the organization during his tenure.
But this trade wasn’t the week’s primary headline. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that the Pirates are interested in trading Mitch Keller to “trim payroll” and “create more financial flexibility for additional roster moves” in return for a “young, quality major league bat.” Jared Jones is also reportedly “very available,” according to a league source.
The sad reality is that the Pirates feel the only way they can genuinely fix their weakness is by weakening their strength—the core of the starting rotation—due to an absurd level of frugalness, not to mention the often-forgotten fact that Pittsburgh cannot draft and develop legitimate hitters in the Minor Leagues, a common theme going back to the Huntington era and beyond.
Additionally, it’s obvious now more than ever that ownership (I refuse to say his name; he doesn’t deserve any more attention) has buyer’s remorse over Keller’s five-year extension last February. The reasoning behind this contract had nothing to do with the benefit of the ballclub; it was simply a last-minute PR move to distract from a bombshell article The Athletic released just two days prior that revealed what many had already thought regarding the organization’s dysfunction and stinginess.
During a time when the Pirates have a window of opportunity in a weak division with one of the unicorns of baseball, Paul Skenes, there still is no sense of urgency in free agency, and there are no signs indicating that will change. It’s safe to assume that the Pirates’ payroll will remain around $85 million while the division rival Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers organizations—who aren’t in bigger markets than Pittsburgh—continue to spend over $100 million on their respective teams.
And no one is naive enough to believe that Ben Cherington will pull off great trades to fix the many holes in the bullpen and lineup to make this team a true contender in 2025.
On a broader scale, the Pirates may be fortunate enough to make a playoff appearance or two with Skenes if some things line up perfectly for them, but once he leaves, they will be back to square one of a never-ending rebuild that ultimately goes nowhere.
Although there are sometimes glimpses of light, there is ultimately nothing but darkness at the end of the tunnel for Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The problem is these same fans (me included) still spend money on an organization that only cares about their bottom line.
Putting up billboards of protest is nice but ultimately will not change anything. If you ever want to see a consistently winning baseball team in this town, it’s time to forget Zambelli Fireworks, bobbleheads, and Free Shirt Fridays and watch the games from home.
This sentiment hurts as someone who loves going to PNC Park as much as anyone. But fans must decide whether their money is worth spending on a product that continues to fail repeatedly.