Grading Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates front office at the season’s midway point
Acquired or traded
The Pirates were relatively active players in the trade market over the course of the offseason. Cherington acquired seven players by trade, purchase or waiver claim who have seen time with the major league roster this season, and he did so at a loss of five members of the 2022 team.
The problem is that as a group those dozen personnel moves have not been especially helpful to the Pirates’ cause.
The Pirates got outfielder Connor Joe on the cheap from Colorado (he cost only a minor leaguer) and for a time it looked like a genius move. Through 20 games Joe was hitting in the .370s, and was a major reason why the Pirates held first place in the division as late as May 10.
But as the Pirates’ record receded, Joe’s offense dried up. He finishes the first half at just .237 and looking like the Rockies knew all along what they were doing in dumping him for a prospect. His WAA now sits at -0.8.
When Oneil Cruz suffered his season-ending injury, Mark Mathias became the default middle infield option. Picked up from Texas in March for a minor leaguer, Mathias never showed enough offense to hold down a regular spot, batting .231 and losing his job to Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano. With a -0.4 WAA, he was designated for assignment last week.
Two of the departures have been noteworthy. Infielder Kevin Newman was traded to Cincinnati in November for Dauri Moreta. While Moreta has been a moderately useful addition to Pittsburgh’s staff, Newman has been a drag on the Reds’ youth movement. Pitcher Bryse Wilson was sold to Milwaukee in January, and Wilson has been a useful addition to the Brewers’ bullpen.
Free agency
Two situations dominated the drama that was Cherington’s dalliances with individual signings.
One was the negotiated return of free agent and Pirate legend Andrew McCutchen. That was accomplished in January when McCutchen agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million deal to rejoin the team for which he had been the 2013 MVP. He’s hitting.282, his best start since 2015, with 10 homers and a +0.7 WAA.
The other was the extension given to Bryan Reynolds, by consensus Pittsburgh’s leader. It was not without drama given that during spring training Reynolds demanded a trade. Reynolds is now under contract through 2031 via a contract in the neighborhood of $120 million.
The question with Reynolds is whether his ball-contact game can generate the kind of value a team leader must generate. He’s hitting .279 through the season’s first half with a +0.6 WAA, but his team may need more.
Carlos Santana was brought in from Seattle to play first base and hit in the middle of the order. He’s given Cherington a useable .245 average with nine homers and a +0.6 WAA.
Sadly for the Pirates, some of Cherington’s less publicized signings have not gone as productively. Austin Hedges was brought in to catch but he’s batting just .168 and ceding time to Jason Delay. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill has begun to show his age (43), with a 4.43 ERA in 16 starts.
Cherington only lost two players to the open market. Neither catcher Roberto Perez nor outfielder Jake Marisnick has been especially missed.
Farm system
The farm system has to be any growing team’s wellspring. In Cherington’s case, that has meant the development of such set pieces as third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, pitcher Mitch Keller, and most recently shortstop Oneil Cruz.
The leg injury that prematurely curtailed the season and development for Cruz forced the Pirates to scramble their mid-infield plans. It has also multiplied the importance placed on the growth of another system product, second baseman Ji Hwan Bae.
The question is whether the 23-year old Bae is up to the challenge of learning on the job. He’s batting .238 with a .609 OPS, which even for a young middle infielder isn’t very good. He’s also taking his bat to the field, producing a -7 Defensive Runs Saved score. It all adds up to a -1.2 WAA.
The new hope is that recent promotion Henry Davis may be the answer. An outfielder and former top draft pick, Davis debuted in mid-June and has had a fast first two weeks: a .311 average, an .802 OPS and a +0.2 WAA. All he has to do now is keep it up for the next three months.
As a group, though, the eight rookies Cherington has used in 2023 have not produced well. Their collective WAA is -1.8, and while Bae is responsible for the bulk of it five of Cherington’s eight callups have hurt rather than helped the team.
Overall
That the Pirates remain in contention in the NL Central is both a comment on the division’s weakness and also a tribute to the team’s core. It has little, unfortunately for Cherington, to do with the personnel changes he’s made.
Here’s the first-half report card on the Pirates front office. Note that grades for players departing the organization are based on the reverse of those players’ WAAs with their new teams.
Mode WAA Grade
Acquired -1.3 D
Traded -0.1 C
Signed -1.1 D
FA Lost -0.4 C
Rookies -1.8 D
Overall -3.7 F
The problem with Cherington’s first-half report card is the utter absence of any area of strength to it. By none of the five means through which a general manager can help his team has Cherington actually done so.
In no case are the negatives substantial. But they add up to an unacceptable drain of talent, especially for a team that’s supposed to be on the rise as the Pirates are supposed to be.
And make no mistake, this team should be on the rise. Cherington has amassed what appears a mass of young talent in Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, Henry Davis, Jack Suwinski, Mitch Keller and David Bednar. The return of Andrew McCutchen and the extension given to Bryan Reynolds should be upgrades.
That it hasn’t really worked out to date is partly the fault of the players themselves, but Cherington has not yet found the inspirational move that can spur a team from on top of the organizational chart. Perhaps the Davis promotion will be that. If it is, Cherington’s end-of-season grade may improve.
dark. Next. Staying in the division and grading the Cubs front office