Pirates GM Backs Return of Derek Shelton
Any doubts about Derek Shelton's status as the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager feel like they've been effectively quelled.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about Shelton's future and said he recommended to ownership that Shelton return for next season and that it was received well. Along with the recommendation that Shelton is the man standing on the top step in 2025, he touted the longtime manager's work ethic and ability to lead Pittsburgh out of its nine-year playoff drought.
"I believe he can help lead us toward winning in 2025," Cherington said. "I believe he already does a lot of the aspects of the job very well and at a high level. I believe he works as hard as any manager in the game and I certainly believe he cares as much as any manager in the game."
If retained, Shelton would be entering his sixth season as the Pirates' manager next season. Through his first five seasons at the helm, Pittsburgh has gone 294-414, including a pair of 100-loss seasons and going 76-86 in back-to-back years.
Shelton's need to improve is among the things Cherington noted, though, he reaffirmed his faith in his ability to grow and help the Pirates take the next step in 2025.
"Like all of us, certainly including me, he has targets that he needs to improve on and I believe he is fully aware of those," Cherington said. "I believe he's committed to working on those and I believe he understands the team needs to ultimately respond to him and we'll go into 2025 together, accountable together. I'm excited for that. I'm excited for the work ahead."
After five consecutive seasons of finishing under .500, 2025 may very well be a make-or-break season for Shelton, and if the ship sinks again, it's not far-fetched to believe Cherington will be going down with him.
