PITTSBURGH (AP) — The
Pittsburgh Pirates
are reeling, and nearly every option is being considered for a last-place team that has already
fired its manager
and filled an entire five years’ worth of
public-relations missteps
into two months.
Sure, apart from one aspect: trading the star player
Paul Skenes
.
When asked on Thursday whether trading the current National League Rookie of the Year might be considered for a team severely short on promising position players, General Manager Ben Cherington provided unusually concise remarks.
“No, it doesn’t fit into the discussion whatsoever,” Cherington stated plainly.
Pittsburgh was set to face off against their NL Central rivals, the Milwaukee team, in a crucial four-game series despite being 11 games behind the playoff spots. This significant gap can largely be attributed to their struggling offense, which finds itself at or near the bottom in virtually all key statistics: they rank last in runs scored, slugging percentage, and OPS (all at 30th place), as well as second-to-last in both home runs and batting average (both at 29th).
At the very least, the Pirates exhibited a slight spark offensively at the plate during this game.
An 8-5 defeat against the Brewers
A few hours following Cherington’s statement, they managed to score five runs for the first time in 27 games. Their 26-game stretch of scoring four runs or less matched a Major League record held by four other teams, with the latest before them being the California Angels in 1969.
Still, it was noteworthy that Pittsburgh also stranded 10 runners on base, characteristic of a season where the Pirates have continually failed to capitalize on the limited chances they get.
It wasn’t quite the direction envisioned during spring training, when executives like Cherington and Skenes along with manager Derek Shelton – who was let go two weeks back and succeeded by Don Kelly – discussed how the Pirates needed to make progress following their consecutive 76-86 campaigns.
Rather than moving forward, the Pirates have found themselves going backward since day one, despite having Skenes start. In his eight appearances, Pittsburgh has only managed to secure three wins out of five losses, with their most recent game ending in defeat.
a 1-0 setback
In Philadelphia over the past weekend, Skenes restricted the Phillies to just three hits during his first-ever complete game in his career.
Next week, Skenes will turn 23 years old and he has fully committed himself to the Pirates ever since joining them about a year ago. The team still retains control over him for the remainder of the decade, and he isn’t expected to be eligible for arbitration until after 2026. This makes him quite an affordable asset among major league players.
Although Pittsburgh has secured players such as two-time All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes with long-term contracts, these deals are relatively modest in comparison to what Skenes could potentially demand in the future if his career progresses along its present path.
The Pirates consistently rank among the least financially extravagant teams in Major League Baseball. This season, their opening-day payroll stood at slightly below $88 million. They were outspent only by the Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay, the Athletics, and Miami.
Despite this, Pittsburgh hasn’t seen much payoff from their investments. The bullpen has struggled somewhat, but the starting pitchers have performed well overall. Skenes (with an ERA of 2.44), Mitch Keller (ERA at 3.88), Andrew Heaney (ERA at 2.91), and Bailey Falter (ERA at 3.50) all maintain ERAs below 4.00, though collectively they hold a record of 11 wins and 21 losses.
The problem lies in an underpowered batting order that lacks distinction apart from Reynolds, franchise legend Andrew McCutchen, and center fielder Oneil Cruz.
Pittsburgh boasts one of the more robust collections of pitching prospects in Major League Baseball—among them is the powerful 22-year-old Bubba Chandler, along with Mike Burrows, who conceded four runs across five innings in his debut game last Thursday. However, after over five years under Cherington’s leadership, the team still lacks a significant number of homegrown position players ready for the top tier.
Catcher
Henry Davis
The number one overall selection in the 2021 draft continues to develop more than a year and a half since making their big-league debut. Second baseman Nick Gonzales, selected in the first round back in 2020, is recuperating from an ankle injury and hasn’t solidified his role as a regular starter. Previous first-round selections Termarr Johnson (drafted in 2022) and Konnor Griffin (selected in 2024) are expected to contribute at some point down the line.
Up until now, players being called up from Triple-A has primarily been due to injuries rather than their performance at that level.
We’re looking for players from Triple-A to make their presence felt,” Cherington stated. “This could very well occur this season. Over time, we aim to see even more of such contributions. Everyone understands that increasing our run count is necessary. Merely wishing for it won’t suffice; dedicated effort will be required.
Cherington stays hopeful that the big-league squad will begin to improve over the last approximately 110 games, and he’s convinced that Skenes will be involved regardless of how things go.
We simply need to improve,” Cherington stated. “Let’s focus on playing better baseball, which will result in winning more games. Afterward, let’s assess our progress come July.
___
AP MLB:
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Will Graves, The Associated Press
