'We feel urgency': Pirates GM Ben Cherington expects improvement but isn't ready to panic

That the Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t playing up to expectations has been the storyline of the season, one that on Friday afternoon prompted general manager Ben Cherington to give them an “incomplete” grade.

Where Cherington touted a starting rotation that has delivered 25 quality starts through the first 51 games, he admitted the bullpen that was supposed to be a strength has been “inconsistent.” Where catcher Henry Davis and outfielder Jack Suwinski were demoted to Triple-A because of their scuffles at the plate, Cherington isn’t ready to cut ties with foundering first baseman Rowdy Tellez.

The Pirates (23-28) followed a series in which they won three out of four games at the Chicago Cubs by blowing big leads in back-to-back losses to the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. Despite those “tough outcomes,” Cherington isn’t ready to hit the panic button.

“We’ve had good moments. We’ve had very frustrating moments. Some in-between,” Cherington said. “I think we’ve seen glimpses of a team that can play well, play with anyone in the league and win games, stay in this right until the end. That’s definitely still what we’re focused on. We’ve also had days where it hasn’t looked like that.”

Cherington touched on a number of topics, perhaps most prominently the bullpen that blew a five-run lead in Wednesday’s 9-5 loss and a four-run lead in Thursday’s 7-6 loss, both coming after the Pirates got quality starts from rookie right-handers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes and provided comfortable cushions by hitting grand slams.

Although Pirates manager Derek Shelton shared that he can get “extremely frustrated” with the blowups that lead to loss, he reminded that several relievers are still young and “trying to find their footing.”

The brief flirtation with a six-man starting rotation left the bullpen depleted, and the $10.5 million investment in Aroldis Chapman has been a disappointment. That was especially true when the seven-time All-Star threw 12 consecutive pitches for balls in the eighth inning Wednesday.

“We believed coming into spring training, we believed in spring training, that could be a strong part of the team. Still believe it can be. Still believe we have the talent there for that to be a really good unit and help us win games,” Cherington said. “Everyone in the bullpen has had moments of brilliance and moments where it’s been a struggle. I’m not sure we’ve had any one time the entire bullpen clicking together. We’ve had different guys clicking at different times. Believe in the talent. Believe the talent’s there for it to be a really good unit. We’re going to continue to support them and work with them.

“I really do believe that, maybe different than some years in the past that I’ve been here, the solution is here. I think we have the guys here to do it. Just got to find those answers, get to more level of consistency, as you said. It’s just been a little bit one step up, one step back. We need to get past that.”

Cherington isn’t quite ready to move on from Tellez, who signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract in the hopes that the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder would provide a power bat in the middle of the order. Instead, Tellez has batted .175 with one home run and eight RBIs in 45 games, drawing boos from the home crowd before and after every at-bat on Thursday.

While Cherington admitted that the Pirates “are not seeing the outcomes” Tellez provided in the past — he hit 35 homers with 89 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022 — he insisted that the “underlying physical traits are still there.” Cherington noted Tellez’s bat speed and ability to hit the ball hard, in particular, and noted that he’s healthy.

“He’s scuffling. He knows that, we all know that,” Cherington said. “I know he feels the burden of that and he’s accountable for it. We’re all accountable for our performance ultimately. The same reasons that we pursued him, those same reasons are there. He wants to be doing better than he is. Nobody wants to be doing better than he does.”

Cherington also isn’t giving up on Suwinski, who was slashing .174/.268/.297 with five doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs through 49 games before being optioned to Indianapolis before Thursday’s game.

Cherington said the Pirates tried to give Suwinski time to get on track but decided it was best for him to play every day. Cherington offered neither a timeline nor a guarantee for Suwinski’s return but is counting on his time in the minors to build back his confidence.

“Jack is really important to us. We believe in him,” Cherington said. “Clearly believe that the best version of our team in 2024 has Jack on it, doing the things that we know he’s capable of doing.”

Although Davis is destroying minor league pitching, slashing .320/.469/.760 with four doubles, six homers and 14 RBIs in 14 games, Cherington said the Pirates are pleased with his progress but not in any hurry to bring the 2021 No. 1 overall pick back to the majors with Yasmani Grandal and Joey Bart sharing the catching duties.

For Davis to return to the Pirates, Cherington said, is “just a matter of when and what’s the right time for him, what’s the right time for the team.”

“He’s gone down there with a purpose and, not surprisingly, he’s working hard,” Cherington said. “Defensive side of the game has remained solid, in a similar place to where it was here. Obviously, as you can see, the offensive performance has been strong. We’re seeing progress, even aside from the OPS (1.229) and what the surface results look like. We’re seeing progress in the specific area he’s been attacking down there. Again, not surprised he’s gone down there with a purpose.”

Cherington added that he’s always looking for external help but is hopeful that the biggest impact will come from within the organization, through player improvement and development. The expectation, he said, is for the Pirates to compete for playoff contention this season.

“We feel urgency. I think we have to feel urgency. This is the big leagues,” Cherington said. “We are further along than we were three years ago. We all feel a sense of urgency, and I think the best way to channel that urgency is into improvement. Let’s just keep getting better because with where we’re at, if we keep getting better day to day and month to month, then it’s going to add up to contention as soon as it can. I think there’s urgency, but we feel like what we can do with that urgency is focus on getting better.”