When Jim Tracy was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager nearly 20 years ago, he was famous for taking a reporter’s question and going in a different direction with his answer.
General manager Ben Cherington was asked last weekend during a video conference with reporters about how he felt newly acquired second baseman Brandon Lowe would fit in with the Pirates. Lowe had spent his entire professional career with the Tampa Bay Rays, who selected him in the third round of the 2015 amateur draft from the University of Maryland.
Cherington answered the question in detail, then veered off course. That is something he has rarely done since being hired by the Pirates following the 2019 season. Cherington began talking about owner Bob Nutting’s willingness to let the GM do more to help bolster the roster than in past offseasons.
“What's been great is just the level of clarity, I think, as an organization we have about the opportunity in front of us,” Cherington said. “Bob and I have been really aligned on that and with the belief of what we can accomplish and knowing that we ought to be out there pursuing aggressively in ways that we can, ways to improve the team.
“We’ve done that in more aggressive ways in free agency this offseason than during the time I've been here. You're not going to land everything, but it's a good feeling to be aligned and for that to be really clear. We just all appreciate that support, and we're looking forward to doing more. I mean, we haven't hit Christmas yet, and there's a lot more out there for us.”
The Pirates made offers to free agent sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor. However, both decided to stay with their teams, Schwarber with the Philadelphia Phillies and Naylor with the Seattle Mariners.
Pirates’ fans remain skeptical about the team’s commitment to free agency, especially Nutting’s history of frugality. The largest contract that the Pirates have ever given to a free agent was a three-year, $39-deal with left-hander Francisco Liriano following the 2014 season. The Pirates haven’t signed a free agent to a multi-year deal since 2016.
The national media have also questioned whether the Pirates are serious about signing free agents. Some insiders believe the Pirates entered the bidding for Schwarber and Naylor with no intention of landing either player, but rather to placate fans and push for a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement.
Perhaps Cherington’s soliloquy was an answer to the critics. Maybe it was meant to reassure the fans.
Regardless, it was certainly out of character.