SAME OLD, SAME OLD

Ben Cherington is still going to be the Pirates GM. Derek Shelton is still going to be the Pirates manager.

Those are absurd decisions. The Pirates have made zero progress in their five seasons with the team.

But those are also meaningless decisions.

If Cherington and Shelton got fired, their replacements wouldn't be Billy Beane and Terry Francona. Their replacements would be equally low-budget and fringe-level. Same guys, different names.

So, firing Cherington and Shelton wouldn't improve things.

The only way to change the Pirates is to change ownership. To spend more. That's not going to happen.

That said, 2024 might be the most embarrassing season ever for the Pirates.

They added baseball's best pitcher in Paul Skenes and another very good hurler in Jared Jones. Oneil Cruz, their top offensive talent, was healthy after being grievously injured early in the 2023 season.

They made a couple of aggressive gets at the trade deadline.

But they still finished with the same record as 2023: 76-86.

It's enough to make you forget that Cueto dropped the ball.

Just kidding. Nobody could ever forget the greatest moment in Pittsburgh sports history.