Ben Cherington Expected to Return as Pirates General Manager
Jason Shetler
In a recent article from ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to retain general manager Ben Cherington next season. Pirates insider Jason Mackey was on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday, and also said he expects Cherington to be back.
Cherington entered 2026 in his seventh year as GM of the Pirates.
The Bucs are on the verge of missing the postseason for an 11th consecutive year. Only the Los Angeles Angels have a longer playoff drought (12).
In terms of offense, the Pirates drastically improved in that area this season going from one of the worst a season ago to Top 5, in most offensive categories. The additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn played a massive role, as well as Oneil Cruz becoming a more complete hitter at the plate.
However, the pitching let them down - by and large. The bullpen really struggled in the first half, while nobody could have forecasted Paul Skenes underachieving to the level in which he has this season. It also didn’t help that Mitch Keller turned into a replacement level starter in ‘26 (5.26 ERA).
Heading into next season, the Pirates do have a nice core of young players to help contend. In regards to the lineup, Konnor Griffin, Esmerlyn Valdez, and Rafael Flores are useful pieces. On the pitching side, it’s Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, and hopefully something closer to the 2025 version of Skenes.
From the bigger picture, Pirates owner Bob Nutting sees a potential lockout looming, with the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement in the offseason. Cherington is signed through 2027, so Nutting likely isn’t willing to buy out Cherington’s final year, while paying another GM on top of that.