New GM optimistic there will be season

Encourages fans to voice frustration

Be mad, Ben Cherington said. That’s healthy. He also encouraged fans to voice their frustration and hold front-office staff accountable. But the Pirates general manager isn’t backing off his stance that he believes Major League Baseball will play games in 2020.

Answering a question about why fans should remain optimistic about baseball, Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan Tuesday that he feels their pain … but that it should only be temporary.

“Our fans care about the game,” he said. “I was a fan long before I had this job. I know what it feels like to be frustrated with something you care about. I would encourage our fans to express that frustration and continue to hold us accountable toward finding solutions. I remain optimistic that we will.”

Why has Cherington remained optimistic that the league/owners and the MLB Players Association will somehow figure this out?

“My optimism is based on the knowledge that I believe teams and players both want to play,” he said. “There’s a motivation to play. When two groups are motivated toward something, there tends to be a chance to work things out.”

Cherington tackled a variety of other topics during his 17-minute appearance, including:

• Derek Shelton having to wait and wait before managing his first game.

“We talk about it,” Cherington said. “I don’t know if I’ve helped him. But we talk about

it. I feel for Shelty, who has worked so hard and waited so long for this opportunity.”

Cherington said Shelton has been helping out in a variety of ways to stay busy, including player development and international, amateur and pro scouting. “He’s been able to come into those conversations and activities, help us, give input and learn himself, hopefully. He’s done a lot of sessions with our minor league staff and managers, hearing information.

“He’s had plenty of outlets to stay busy and help us get better during this time. But, yeah, certainly hoping that he manages that first game soon.”

• A short season would be nuts, Cherington basically said.

While it’s not yet known whether there would even be a trade deadline, someone like Cherington would certainly have to operate with a greater sense of urgency. “We could see outcomes or just things happen in a short season that are unexpected,” he said. “The shorter the season, probably the more potentially extreme outcomes could happen.”

• Cherington also tackled a couple of draft-related topics. He said the Pirates were surprised that shortstop Nick Gonzales fell to them at No. 7, while they’re also working on signing their six picks.

“Frankly we did not think Gonzales would be there at No. 7. We thought there was a chance. We were holding out hope but weren’t really betting on it,” he said. “We’re excited that he was.”

Second-rounder Jared Jones — a hard-throwing right-hander — agreed to terms Monday. It seems others could soon follow.

“Negotiations are happening, and we’re confident on all of them,” Cherington said.

• Cherington called this lost player development time “a setback” and said the Pirates would have to work like crazy to make up for it. He’s also hopeful there will be some sort of player development activity in 2020.

• The last question posed to Cherington involved Josh Bell and whether the GM could envision signing him to a long-term contract.

Those talks have not yet started, the Pittsburgh PostGazette reported in April and Cherington confirmed Tuesday, but they seem possible.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him, that’s for sure,” he said of Bell. “He’s a talented player but also really smart, thoughtful, great teammate, cares about his teammates, cares about the team, cares about getting better. He checks a lot of boxes for the kind of guy you’d want in a clubhouse.

“In terms of thinking down the road, haven’t gotten into those conversations. And obviously we’d always want to have those conversations, if we get to that, in private. But if you think about the kind of qualities that you’re looking for on a team, in a place like Pittsburgh, he does a lot of things we value.”