Pirates Make Decision On General Manager Ben Cherington

The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted little time setting the foundation for 2026.

Pirates announced an extension for Don Kelly on Monday, promoting the interim manager to the permanent position. General manager Ben Cherington will also stay with the organization.

Cherington said he was assured he’ll return for his seventh season with the Pirates, per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf. Pirates president Travis Williams explained the decision, via 93.7 The Fan.

“We felt, at the end of the day, that making a change at general manager would set us back,” Williams said. “That’s not what our fans expect. That’s not what we expect. We’re looking in 2026 to make the playoffs. Period. Full stop.”

When announcing Kelly’s new deal, a statement from owner Bob Nutting seemed to confirm Cherington would maintain his position.

“This season, we fell well short as an organization both on and off the field,” Nutting said. “It has been unacceptable. Our focus must shift to execution, to delivering wins. Results are the only thing that matter. We owe it to our fans, to the city, and to the legacy of this team to get it right. Ben and everyone in the organization fully understands what is expected, and that the work ahead demands urgency. Today’s announcement of Donnie is the first of many steps we will take this offseason to bring winning baseball back to Pittsburgh.”

Six years ago, the Pirates hired Cherington after stints with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. They’ve yet to make the playoffs or post a winning record under his watch, wrapping up a 71-91 season on Sunday.

Yet the team improved to 59-65 under Kelly after firing Derek Shelton earlier in the 2025 campaign. There’s hope for a 2026 turnaround with Paul Skenes anchoring a promising young rotation alongside Mitch Keller, rookie Bubba Chandler and the returning Jared Jones.

That places an emphasis on Cherington to address a lineup that registered an MLB-worst .655 OPS. It’ll be a pivotal offseason for Cherington and the Pirates organization if they want to snap a decade-long playoff drought.

More MLB: Pirates Announce Contract Extension For Manager Don Kelly