A day after Bob Nutting acknowledged the need for additional offensive reinforcements, Ben Cherington discussed the possibility of adding externally while also showing continued faith in the players currently on the roster for a Pirates team that finds itself within the mix of a congested National League Wild Card race.
"I think by now, we all have a pretty good sense of where the team is," Cherington said Saturday. "Look, I still believe we have players that are capable of more. I'll continue to say that because I believe in them. We'll continue to focus energy internally, as far as how we can continue to get better. It's always going to be, just by the nature of the math. There are 26 players on the team. That means that the impact on wins and losses is always going to be more from the players that are here, because even if you have more than a fraction of that 26-man roster improving, not improving, getting hurt or whatever, that's just going to a bigger impact on our performance than any single acquisition would be. Just the way the math works. That's why so much of our energy remains internal."
Still, Cherington said there is willingness to add to the team, make it better and remain engaged in efforts to accomplish those goals. But he added that teams aren't just eagerly lining up to hand over good players.
"It's a process and at this particular time, in the league, as we've all talked about, it's an interesting year. There are so many teams that are still in it. Those teams are as motivated as we are to stay in it, and find ways to improve. So, the pool of players that are realistically available right now is seemingly small, and the list of teams interested in those players is pretty long. That just makes that dance interesting right now," Cherington said. "But we've just got to stay in it. We've just got to stay engaged, keep talking to teams regularly and hopefully that leads to finding an opportunity that can help us. And in the meantime, we have to continue to support our guys here and find ways to get better internally."
When it comes to the trade market, this year is a little different in the eyes of Cherington, as there is a condensed middle ground of teams hovering around the .500 mark with seemingly more interest in adding offense. Year to year, pitching is ordinarily seen as the primary area in which teams look to improve.
"It sort of feels, not that teams aren't looking for pitching, but it sort of feels like there is a little bit more of a priority on offense, which makes sense because offense is down around the league and every team is sort of feeling that and looking to add," Cherington said. "So, a combination of the standings, the way they are, and maybe a little bit of a tilt in a demand for offense, both of those things feel a little different."
The Pirates (36-39) are currently 1.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card berth. While they have a talented pitching staff led by three legitimate starters in Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, the offense has been inconsistent throughout the year. Entering Saturday, the offensive group ranked among the bottom six MLB teams in batting average (.229), home runs (69) and runs scored (302).
It's still early, but perhaps that positioning in the wild card race and the seemingly heightened demand for offense throughout the league would increase the urgency for Cherington and the Pirates to make a move to improve the offense and put themselves in a position to gain some separation from the rest of the field. The general manager insists there is urgency regardless of where they sit among the other teams in the league.
"I really feel, we all feel, urgency every day, and it's not because of where the standings are. We're aware of what the standings are and what that means for us, but the urgency is for wanting to win, wanting to deliver for everyone who is invested in or cares about the Pirates. That's where the urgency comes from," Cherington said. "I think everybody in that room feels that. I certainly feel that. We want to keep getting better. We want to do whatever we can to keep getting better and are willing to do that."
