Perrotto: As Usual, Pirates Make Another Illogical Decision
The great thing about the Pittsburgh Pirates is that if they can do anything illogical, they usually do.
On Monday, the Pirates announced that general manager Ben Cherington would return for a seventh season in 2026, with the organization’s goal being to reach the playoffs next year. Somehow, those two items seem mutually exclusive, considering the Pirates have a 365-505 record since Cherington replaced Neal Huntington,
That works out to a winning percentage of .420. That would get the GM fired in most places, but in Pittsburgh, it gets a slap on the back and a vote of confidence.
Have I ever mentioned that the combination of owner Bob Nutting and team president Travis Williams is the worst in the major leagues?
They know nothing about baseball. They aren’t smart enough to hire real baseball people. Worst of all, they operate in their own little sphere and are oblivious to the fact that people throughout the game either laugh at them or shake their heads.
Nutting has never figured out that running an MLB franchise is totally different than overseeing a chain of small newspapers. Whatever skills Williams learned while working in the NHL have not translated to baseball.
In fairness, the Pirates did make a smart move on Monday by extending manager Don Kelly’s contract. Kelly is poised to become an outstanding manager as he gains experience and serves as a beacon of light in a rudderless organization.
However, Tuesday’s news regarding the Pirates’ coaching staff left me dumbfounded as reports indicated that pitching coach Oscar Marin and third base coach Mike Rabelo will not have their contracts renewed, and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom will not return.
What happened to Rabelo is not surprising. Base coaches often take the fall when a team is coming off a 71-91 record like the Pirates had this year. It’s flawed reasoning, but it’s a way of life in baseball.
Strom had a look on his face all season that suggested he regretted ever getting involved in the Pirates’ nonsense. No 77-year-old needs that kind of grief.
But the most head-scratching move of all is axing Marin. The Pirates would have lost 100 games this season if it hadn’t been for their pitching,
The staff’s ERA was 3.76, which was seventh in the major leagues. The Pirates hadn’t finished that high since 2015 during the height of pitching coach Ray Searage and the organization’s sinkerball revolution.
The Pirates’ problem this season was so evident that even someone who had never picked up a ball or bat in their life could see it. The Pirates finished last in MLB in runs scored and home runs, among other categories.
Matt Hague was a total flop in his first year as a major league hitting coach. I’m all for giving people second chances, but it’s hard to bring Hague back after such an awful performance.
Yet Hague is apparently staying, and Marin is leaving. So much for rewarding good work, though that’s how organizations with no accountability operate.
Those Buccos. There is no organization in baseball like them.
Which is a blessing for fans of the other 29 MLB teams.