Pittsburgh Pirates fans collectively groaned last weekend when general manager Ben Cherington said that he expected to return to the role in 2026. Those groans grew even louder when The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Cherington's contract isn't even up for two more years.
In six years under Cherington, the Pirates have a record of 363-504 and have finished 4th or 5th in the National League Central in every season. They stagnated in 2023-24, posting identical 76-86 records in back-to-back seasons, before regressing in 2025, where their maximum win total now sits at 72.