2 weeks Ago By Kevin Gorman
Ben Cherington didn’t need a win-now mandate from Bob Nutting to feel any additional pressure to perform, even after the Pittsburgh Pirates started the season by losing 12 of their first 20 games. For the Pirates general manager, it’s part of the job description. “Nobody has to tell us that.
Nobody has to tell the players that. Everybody in the clubhouse knows. That’s the job.
So there is no news there,” Cherington said before Friday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park. “That is the expectation. Of course, that should be the expectation.
We want our fans to know that. We want everybody to know that. I don’t believe that anybody in our clubhouse needs to know that.
They know that. It’s not news to them. The way to do that within our clubhouse is to nail the process.
Do the things that add up to winning, and that’s the stuff we need to keep focusing on.” Cherington acknowledged the Pirates are underperforming to expectations, though injuries to first baseman Spencer Horwitz, second baseman Nick Gonzales, Gold Glove utility infielder Jared Triolo and catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez created complications that forced role players into more prominent positions. Just don’t expect the Pirates to make a trade this early in the season to address any offensive deficiencies.
Cherington said the team’s internal metrics indicate improvements. “All we want to do is win every day,” Cherington said. “We’ve got to control the parts we can control.
We can’t force things. It’s April. Most teams are going to rely on the players that are inside the organization.
We certainly have an eye out and already we have an eye outside the organization. We will keep an eye on things. We keep having conversations, but trades don’t usually happen this soon.
We’ve got to rely on the guys that are here. We believe in the guys that are here. Some guys have stepped up.
We are going to get healthier. And then over the course of the season if we do what I believe we will do, then they’ll be opportunities to add to it at some point.” Cherington expects high-leverage relievers Colin Holderman and David Bednar to be “right in the middle” of the back end of the bullpen when they return.
Where Holderman is on the 15-day injured list with a right knee strain, Bednar was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis after the two-time All-Star closer had an inconsistent start to the season. “Those guys are proven, in one case as a closer or a late-inning leverage reliever with premium stuff,” Cherington said. “Absolutely going to need those guys.
When they’re ready, they’ll be on the team, no question from me. ..
. We’re anxious to get both of those guys back on the team when they’re ready and in a good spot to do that.” Cherington expects Holderman to begin a rehab assignment soon, and he said the Pirates wanted to see Bednar “work on something specific.
” Through his first five appearances, Bednar had seven strikeouts without a walk and allowed one hit in five scoreless innings. Cherington said he feels like Bednar is “certainly trending to accomplishing the objective he went down there with.” One of the most pivotal position players is Horwitz, who was acquired from Cleveland via Toronto in December for right-hander Luis Ortiz and a pair of minor-league pitchers to address the opening at first base.
Instead, Horwitz required surgery on his right wrist and missed all of spring training. He is preparing to head to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., where Horwitz will get into game situations before going on a rehabilitation assignment.
“He hasn’t played a single game of baseball in 2025, so I would expect that we’re looking at something as close to a full spring training as we can engineer,” Cherington said. “I mean, not exactly spring training, but this is not going to be a five-game rehab assignment or something. It’s going to be longer than that.
” Cherington also said the Pirates’ top prospect, Bubba Chandler, will continue to work on refining his pitch shapes and usage, particularly his breaking balls, at Indianapolis. The 22-year-old right-hander has been dominant with a 1.69 ERA, 0.
84 WHIP, .118 batting average against and 18 strikeouts with five walks in 10 2/3 innings over three starts. The Pirates want to build his volume before promoting him to the majors, much the same way they did last season with National League rookie of the year Paul Skenes.
“The hopeful outcome is that he’s helping us win games in 2025 at some point,” Cherington said. “Hopefully when that happens, we don’t want to shut that down.”.
