The Pirates formally announced Ben Cherington as their new general manager Monday morning and was introduced at a press conference with owner Bob Nutting and team president Travis Williams.
"I couldn't be more pleased to have him here," Nutting said of Cherington. "I'm pleased for the organization, I'm pleased for the community and I'm pleased for our fans. They deserve a team that you can be excited about, proud of, every single day."
Williams echoed the sentiment.
“Ben is exactly what we need in this organization at this point in time,” Williams said. "He knows how to develop a winning culture. He also has a track record of attracting and developing talent, both on the field and in the front office."
Cherington was the Red Sox general manager from October 2011-August 2015. In addition to serving as the GM during their 2013 World Series, he laid the framework for the 2018 World Series winning team and was part of the front office in 2004 and 2007.
He has been vice president of baseball operations in the Blue Jays organization since 2016. He had other opportunities to be a general manager in that time, but after speaking to Nutting and Williams, he decided he wanted the Pirates job.
“I would not have taken this job if I didn't feel strongly about those relationships,” Cherington said. “I also feel strongly about the level of commitment that's in place here to the entire baseball operations structure, including the team, and that that level of commitment and investment is what we need to build a winning team.
“And then, on a more personal level, I feel like the things that I've actually spent my career focused on are the things that drive success in a place like this.”
That focus would be player development. Some of Cherington's success stories in Boston include Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogarts. In his time with the Blue Jays, Vladamir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio all came through the farm system.
So how will the Pirates repair their player development to have similar success?
"The four pillars that will drive our success are elite talent identification, acquisition, development and deployment," Cherington said. "My entire career has been spent focusing on developing great systems to be elite in these four critical areas, which will fuel our future success in Pittsburgh."
The full media press conference can be watched here:
Today, the Pirates introduce Ben Cherington as the 13th General Manager in team history. https://t.co/hvEjrm0OHv
— Pirates (@Pirates) November 18, 2019
Some takeaways I had from the event:
5. You gotta believe
Cherington said he took the job because he believed in the people he is working with, Nutting and Williams, believed in the commitment to the team and believed that his strengths line up well with the Pirates needs, especially in player development. If that becomes fully realized, that is the ideal scenario: Someone who works well with the people within the organization, wants the job and can acquire the players necessary to win.
The three people who were on that stage believe in each other. That's a good start. We couldn't say that two months ago.
4. The Pirates vetted over 50 candidates for the position
Considering it was down to two candidates about a week ago, that means those 50+ candidates were critiqued over the course of two weeks, starting the day Williams was introduced.
Williams promised a quick and efficient search. He delivered. He also made one more promise: That he would get the right man.
3. No straight answer on if there is a rebuild coming
Cherington was asked if he was going to blow up the roster and rebuild. He responded: "I believe in looking at every day as an opportunity to get better."
That wasn't an answer, but then again, he might not have one right now. He said everyone will evaluated. Of course, that will take some time. But the winter meetings are three weeks away and he will need to know if a rebuild is necessary by then.
2. Williams said there were three primary factors why they chose Cherington: A track record of building a winning organization, ability to attract and develop talent in the front office...
Both of these are pretty irrefutable. Cherington built the 2013 World Series winner, worked in the front office in 2004 and 2007 and laid the framework for the 2018 team. Three rings speak for themselves.
The front office talent has been equally as impressive. Cubs GM Jed Hoyer, Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen and current Red Sox GM Brian O'Halloran have all worked with him, and he hired other gurus and savvy executives. The Pirates had a brain drain after their three year playoff run and could use a restock.
1. ...And he excels in areas that will be important for future success of the organization.
Identifying talent, attracting talent, developing talent and deploying talent. They said it often. It's a good soundbite. If I had to take a guess, I think we're going to hear this going forward, too.
Of course all four points are true, and if the Pirates struggle at even one of those aspects, the other three will be moot. Again, the right things were said. Next up is the right actions.
DK, Matt Sunday and I had a separate session with Cherington this afternoon, the same way we did when Williams was introduced. Here is the full transcription. On Tuesday, DK will have his Tuesday Takes led by this topic, and we’ll post a Morning Java.
If you missed it over the weekend, I analyzed Cherington's GM history in Boston for a special Mound Visit.
FOLLOW LIVE WITH ALEX, DK, SUNDAY
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Feel free to use the comments section to share your thoughts on the hire. We'll pop in there, as well.
