Let me start by saying the short answer to this is simply… NO. Everyone in Pittsburgh wants Ben Cherington fired. He should have been gone after the 2024 season, especially after another 76-86 finish that, much like 2023, started with a decent run and saw the team hovering around .500 near the trade deadline. His track record in trades and, more critically, in developing any offensive talent whatsoever, has left much to be desired. Simply put, he hasn’t earned the chance to stick around for the remainder of this season, let alone the last one. When you commit to tearing it all down and building it back up, you’d better construct something truly good.
That said, there have been some positive developments under Ben Cherington’s tenure in the last two years. Some recent moves, coupled with an uptick in offense in the minors, present a case—albeit a small one—for him continuing as GM through the end of the season and perhaps next season if a miracle were to happen. At the very least, someone currently working under him could continue the path he has set over the past year or two, potentially steering this ship in the right direction should Bob choose not to hire outside of the organization.
So, what has happened these past couple of seasons that makes the case for Ben Cherington to finish out 2025? Here’s a rundown of some organizational changes made over the last two to three years:
Executives
- Sarah Gelles was hired as Assistant General Manager in November 2023 after years with the Astros.
- Bryan Stroh was promoted to Assistant GM in February 2024.
- Internal promotions to Vice President in 2024 included: Joe DelliCarri, Dan Fox, Steve Williams, and John Baker.
- In the winter of 2024–25, the Pirates hired three new Vice Presidents:
- Max Kwan – International Scouting
- Kevin Tenenbaum – Research & Development
- Michael Voltmer – Professional Evaluation & Strategy
Baseball Operations
- Will Lawton transitioned into a new role as Special Assistant of Player Evaluation during the 2024–25 offseason.
Major League Staff
- Derek Shelton was fired as manager in May 2025.
- Don Kelly was promoted from bench coach to manager.
- Chris Truby joined the major league coaching staff shortly after as infield coach.
- Gene Lamont returned in an advisory/bench coach capacity.
- Andy Haines, Justin Meccage, and Adam Vish were all let go in October 2024.
- In November 2024, Matt Hague was hired as the new hitting coach, and Brent Strom was brought in as assistant pitching coach.
- Mike Rabelo remained on staff and took on additional responsibilities in game-planning.
Performance
- Several internal hires and promotions were made during the 2024–25 front office overhaul:
- Michael Chernow – Director of Coaching & Player Development
- Jeremy Bleich – Director of Pitching Development
- Trey Rose – Director of Baseball Operations
- Dr. Héctor Morales – Senior Director of International Development & Minor League Mental Performance
- Todd Tomczyk – Senior Director of Sports Medicine (role expanded)
Player Development
- Player development now includes greater influence from the performance and baseball ops hires mentioned above.
I won’t sit here and claim that any single hire, firing, or promotion is going to be the one big thing that turns the entire organization around. However, it is at least notable that these changes have been made. It indicates that both Ben Cherington, and those below him, recognize the clear need for change based on the Pirates’ performance during Cherington’s tenure. While the managerial changes (firing Haines, then Shelton) might grab more headlines, the shifts in the front office and scouting department, which often go unnoticed by the general public, are meaningful moves that could prove crucial if the talent they bring in is able to perform and the decisions they make work out.
Beyond personnel, the hitting approach has seems to have shifted. Under Haines, the philosophy seemed “one-size-fits-all,” with a hyper-focus on swinging at pitches within a player’s exact, sometimes incredibly small, “zone.” This ended up looking like players were searching for walks, leading to far too many strikeouts. This season, they appear to be swinging the bat more with some of that old approach still overlapping a bit. It could also work better once players have a full season of hearing Matt Hague’s voice. Sometimes the messenger matters. So while it hasn’t fully proven out at the major league level, there are some signs with players currently progressing through the system.
And that brings us to the next area where a case, however tentative, could be made for Cherington: player development. It’s true that developing hitters has largely been a failure during his tenure. Pitching development, on the other hand, hasn’t been an issue, nor has finding decent pitchers on the free-agent market and flipping them at the deadline. But drafting Konnor Griffin and seeing him look like a generational talent, along with the recent offensive success we’ve seen this season from prospects like Esmerlyn Valdez, Edward Florentino, and Javier Rivas is at least notable. Looking at the minors overall, the offensive production has notably picked up (save for Altoona) compared to the major league team. While this doesn’t guarantee any of these players will pan out, it felt like just last season they were miles away from producing any notable offensive talent. That no longer appears to be the case, for now. Again, this will take time to fully prove out, and Ben Cherington likely doesn’t have much time left, but it’s possible that he may have turned things in the right direction.
With all that said, I still think he should have been let go the moment Shelton was let go. It shouldn’t take this long to rebuild. We have seen several teams around the league rebuild in a shorter timeframe. But I can at least see some glimmers of hope that could form a case for him finishing the season, whether I personally agree with it or not.