Reporting from the MLB general manager meetings earlier this week, FanSided's Robert Murray provided an update that sounds almost too good to be true: Not only will the Pittsburgh Pirates have "more flexibility" to add to their roster than they have in any of Ben Cherington's years with the club, but they also expect to explore both trades and free agency to upgrade the roster.
Pirates fans have heard this song before — and they know exactly how it ends. Ben Cherington’s claim that Pittsburgh has “more flexibility than we’ve had in other offseasons” sounds nice on paper, but for a fanbase conditioned by years of half-measures and false promises, it rings hollow for several reasons.