Pirates Manager Derek Shelton Backed to Return for 2025 MLB Season by GM Cherington

Despite being on the verge of his fifth consecutive losing season, Derek Shelton's job as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates appears to be safe.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters on Wednesday he believes Shelton is "the right person to manage the team in 2025" and expects he will return next season.

Shelton's contract was extended by the Pirates in April 2023, but the length of the deal was not specified in the announcement.

The Pirates briefly flirted with playoff contention earlier this season. They had a 29-22 record over two months between June and July that helped them climb three games over .500 on July 30 (55-52).

Pittsburgh was only two games behind the San Diego Padres for the final postseason spot in the NL at that point. A brutal August that included a 10-game losing streak all but ended any hope for the club to be a playoff spoiler.

Things have improved so far in September with a 6-4 record entering play on Wednesday. The Pirates' .476 winning percentage is on pace to be their highest in a season since 2018 when they finished 82-79.

Shelton was hired by the Pirates in November 2019 after Clint Hurdle was fired two months earlier. He took over a franchise that was in the process of a long-term rebuild.

The Pirates haven't finished higher than fourth in the NL Central since Shelton took over as manager. They are on the verge of their third last-place finish in the past five seasons. His .415 winning percentage ranks 336th out of 366 managers all-time with at least 315 games managed.

Even though the results have yet to show up in the Pirates' record, there are clear signs of improvement for the franchise in 2024. Paul Skenes is an NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner amid his historic debut season.

Oneil Cruz, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones have all enjoyed breakout seasons and could form the next great core group with Skenes in Pittsburgh.

Shelton has endured the rough patch of a team just starting to rebuild when he was hired. The Pirates seem inclined to at least give him another year to see it through now that they are making positive strides.