{"id":106484,"date":"2025-08-28T21:14:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=106484"},"modified":"2025-08-28T21:14:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:14:55","slug":"pirates-cherington-interview-mlbtr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/08\/28\/pirates-cherington-interview-mlbtr\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates GM Cherington Discussed Hitting, Free Agents with MLBTR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington recently granted a brief but wide-ranging interview to the MLB Trade Rumors podcast. Too often in his dealings with the Pittsburgh media, it seems as though he\u2019s trying to break former Pirates manager Jim Tracy<\/a>\u2019s unofficial major league record for using the most words to say the least. Nevertheless, there were a couple of points that might interest Pirates fans. Specifically, why don\u2019t the Pirates develop hitters as well as they develop pitchers? Why has Cherington made no multi-year deals with free agents during his Pirates tenure? These will be discussed in this article, along with some pithy commentary. The entire interview, conducted by Darragh McDonald and running approximately 20 minutes, can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Feb 15, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington talks with media at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pirates GM Cherington Gives Wide-Ranging Interview<\/h2>\n

Too often, Cherington is his own worst enemy from a public relations standpoint. He whiffs on softball questions designed to appease an angry fan base. He doesn\u2019t let his hair down and let fans see a side of him that might allow them to set aside their anger over how the team is run and find him at least somewhat likable. Before McDonald got to the tough questions, Cherington showed that he indeed has a sense of humor and a human side. It turns out Cherington reads MLB Trade Rumors and has even gotten ideas for transactions from the site. When McDonald jokingly suggested a finder\u2019s fee, Cherington quipped, \u201cWe\u2019re a small market team. Keep that in mind.\u201d For those fans interested in his dietary habits, he hasn\u2019t caught on to Pittsburgh\u2019s tradition of french fries in sandwiches<\/a> or salads.<\/p>\n

Of course, Pirates fans want his head on a platter, and the Pirates can even hold the fries. Despite being buried in last place in Year 6 of a five-year rebuilding plan, Cherington continues to speak as though he expects to be Pirates GM for a long time yet. The jury is still out on that notion. More on that in a bit.<\/p>\n

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Pirates GM Ben Cherington on MLBTR’s influence in the industry. That and more on the latest episode of the podcast.https:\/\/t.co\/ZuOtHpxLO0<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zYOClF63DK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n