Pirates could make changes after disappointing 2024, per insider

The Pittsburgh Pirates were right in the thick of the playoff race back in July. However, things have changed, and they've fallen back to the cellar of the National League Central, Major League Baseball's weakest division.

As such, there may be some major changes with the front office and coaching staff. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic weighed in on the situation on Foul Territory.

"This is not a meaningful step forward, and now you're wondering what changes if any might happen in the offseason," Rosenthal said. "Is the manager Derek Shelton in trouble? Is the General Manager Ben Cherington in trouble? Where are they going with this?

Rosenthal notes that certain good things have happened with the Pirates this year such as the emergence of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, but that the meaningful changes they were hoping for this season did not happen.

As late as August 5, Pittsburgh was in second place in the NL Central before a slide took them out of contention. Now, they could potentially look to change things by possibly firing Shelton and Cherington.

Ultimately, the Pirates have been unable to take steps forward. They finished in fourth place in the NL Central last year at 76-86, a vast improvement from their 62-100 finish in 2022, but they're stuck in neutral at the moment.

It will be interesting to see if they feel they need to change things and let go of Shelton and Cherington.

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