PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Marlins won 57 games in 2019 and are in the playoffs this year, the Padres and White Sox suffered through horrible years to the post-season in 2020. When will it be the Bucs time to turn it around?
"You don't have to look too far around the league to see the paths teams have taken to success and it's usually built on acquiring, developing and integrating really good young talent," said Pirates general manager Ben Cherington on Wednesday.
It goes to the four principles Cherington has for building a winner-have to be great at evaluating talent, must acquire it at the right time, must be great at developing and then put players in the best position to succeed.
What Cherington is selling is for Pirates fans to trust him and be a part of a rebuilding, although they won't use that word, that is starting on the ground floor, or given the results of this year, maybe from the basement.
"As a fan myself, that is what I would be connecting to," Cherington said. "That's what I would hope our fans would connect to is being part of that journey, part of that process as we build this team. Ke'Bryan Hayes is an example, but there are going to be more. Some are on the team now, some are in the minor leagues, some will be added next year.
"I think it's an exciting thing to be a part of, and when the wins start coming they feel really good because they've been a part of it."
"That's something that resonates with me and really hope it will with our fans. I believe it will because I think Pirates fans are really smart and know that's what we need to do. That's been a foundation for Pirates success in the past."
Cherington said we could see a reorganization in baseball development as he recognizes how vital that is to future success.
As for having money to spend to build a legitimate baseball team.
"The world has changed in the last 10 months and we have to navigate through that," Cherington said. "I'm confident we will have the resources to build a winning team."
Some money will have to be spent as several key players under team control are eligible for arbitration including Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove and Chad Kuhl.
"We believe in our players, but know we have work to do to get better," Cherington said. "We have to be both honest about where we are and with belief and optimism about what we can do and the improvement we can make."
