The Pittsburgh Pirates have plenty of young talent on their roster, but that doesn’t guarantee immediate success. After a rough start to the season, the team has continued to struggle as the year progresses. The lone bright spot among their young core has been Paul Skenes, who recently delivered a gem against the Blue Jays.
“Skenes relied heavily on his four-seamer — throwing it 51 times in his 96-pitch, six inning outing — and matched a season-high 10 whiffs with that four-seamer. That set the pace for an eight-strikeout night, and while he would wind up with a no-decision, a couple of Henry Davis swings late helped the Pirates beat the Blue Jays, 5-2,” MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf wrote.
With this season winding down, attention is already shifting toward 2025 — and beyond. General Manager Ben Cherington has made it clear that building a winning team by 2026 is the top priority.
“Obviously we’re in a situation we don’t want to be in,” GM Ben Cherington said of the 2025 season. “We need to find ways over the next several days until July 31 to put ourselves in a better situation going forward, to increase the chances of the Pirates being a winning team in 2026 and beyond. That’s our only focus.”
When it comes to winning, it starts at the top — with the manager. One potential candidate is former Cubs manager David Ross.
“Another former World Series champion who managed one team, Ross was supposed to be retained by the Cubs as they escaped their rebuild, but he was ultimately let go once Craig Counsell became available. Ross went 262-284 in his four seasons managing the Cubs, successfully navigating them through a rebuild and helping them earn their first winning season (in 2023) since 2019. As a two-time World Series champion, Ross would be a good fit for any of the available openings, though he did spend part of the 2005 season with the Pirates,” Call to the Pen’s Brandon Glick wrote.
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Ross did a strong job in Chicago, but the Cubs opted for a more experienced manager. Now, the Pirates are simply looking to start winning and to give their young talent the support and leadership it deserves. Ross could be the right person to shift the culture in Pittsburgh and help lead the team into a more competitive era.
