While engaged in trade talks, Pirates GM Ben Cherington reveals he has said 'no' to teams and also been told 'no'

With the MLB trade deadline set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday he has not found a deal “that we feel makes sense.”

“Nothing fell through,” he said on his weekly radio show on 93.7 FM. “We have had opportunities the past several days where we could have done something.

“We had offers and a price we could have said yes to, and we chose not to. There have also been things that we pursued and made offers, and we’ve gotten a no from another team. We’re just in the middle of that negotiation. We haven’t found the match or matches yet that we feel make sense. We’ll stay at it.

“My experience has been if you keep at it, keep working at it, at some point you will find (the proper deal). We trust ourselves to do that.”

Cherington said the talks with other teams have been going on “for several weeks and over the past few days, getting prices.”

“If a deal happens and we’re not involved in it — for whatever reason and it can be more than one reason — it didn’t line up in a way where we felt it made sense for the Pirates.”

He said recent injuries to starters Bryan Reynolds, Rowdy Tellez and Nick Gonzales won’t necessarily force the Pirates to make a trade.

“I don’t think there is any single thing that happens that should push us in one direction or the other,” he said. “We have talented infielders on the team who can step up and do jobs (with Gonzales expected to miss considerable time with a groin injury).”

Yet he said he won’t close the door on a deal that can mitigate the injury issue.

“Of course, it can be true if you lose players to injury and there are opportunities to fill back with a player that you think helps and fits into that broader strategy, at that level, yes, (injuries) may have some impact,” he said.

“We believe in the group we have. We believe in the guys we have and the ability they have to step up and fill in. Our job is to keep looking externally between now and the end of Tuesday and see if there are ways to get better.

“We’ll always keep an open mind. Our approach going into this deadline has and will continue to be until Tuesday to try to find ways to improve the Pirates. That’s not specific to 2024 or beyond 2024. It’s both.

“You have to pursue targets you believe in, and we’re absolutely doing that. You do have to be willing to say if the ask or the price is beyond what you think makes sense for the team.”