The Ben Cherington era in Pittsburgh could start with some sweeping organization-wide changes.
On the very same week that Pittsburgh hired the former Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox executive to be its new general manager, owner Bob Nutting indicates that no one within the organization is untouchable.
“I told Ben from the beginning that no one on the roster, no one in the minor-league system or no one on the staff is untouchable,” Nutting told the Tribune-Review, “that he needs to have the flexibility to be able to drive forward and build an organization that he is proud of and that our fans are going to be proud of and that Pittsburgh is going to be proud of.”
This certainly gives Cherington a broad ability to enact changes within the long underwhelming organization.
It also goes without saying that the likes of slugging first baseman Josh Bell and Gold Glove outfielder Starling Marte could be had in trades. Each would draw a ton of interest on the trade market this summer.
Bell, 27, is coming off a career-best 2019 campaign that saw him hit .277 with 37 homers, 116 RBI and a .936 OPS. A rare switch hitter at first base and in the middle of the lineup, he’d be a great option for the Pirates to restock their talent in a trade.
Pittsburgh posted a decade-high 93 losses this past season. Needless to say, the organization brought Cherington in to change the on-field fortune of the team.