Cherington says they 'fully expect' Shelton to return as manager in 2025

Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington expects Manager Derek Shelton to return in 2025.

Ben Cherington Speaks:

Cherington spoke before the Pirates finish a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park.

“There are a lot of parts to the job that I believe he does really, really well. I also believe that he works his tail off to continue to improve in a number of ways,” said Cherington. “Seeing that, I believe he’s the right person to manage this team in 2025.”

Cherington added that there are things to improve on as well.

“It’s not perfect. We make mistakes. We’re constantly trying to figure out how to get better and close any gaps we have.”

That gap got very big after a 10-game losing streak after the All-Star break.

Ultimately, it isn’t Cherington that will decide if Shelton says after this season. Owner Bob Nutting can relieve both Shelton and Cherington of their duties.

According to Baseball Reference, Shelton is 287-404 over his career in Pittsburgh. That’s a winning percentage of .415.

Speaking during his weekly show on The Fan Tuesday, Shelton told Joe Starkey he isn’t going to speculate about his future and that he is solely focused on the rest of the 2024.

A season that had so much promise before a struggling second-half.