The Pirates hope to have improved by pairing Cherington with new President Travis WilliamsGETTY IMAGES
The Pirates' hiring of Ben Cherington as GM has "elicited plenty of reaction," and his presence "could be great" for the club, according to Jason Mackey of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Those in favor of the decision "cited the championship Cherington helped win" in '13 as Red Sox GM and the minor league system he "helped to boost." But opponents mentioned a few "large, ugly contracts and last-place finishes in three of his four years" with the Red Sox. Cherington "faces a rather large decision" when it comes to the club's direction. Mackey: "Do they compete now, or at least try to, or do they blow it up and start over?" Cherington also "could come in here, change damn near everything and set the Pirates up for decades of success." Mackey: "But if this fails, surely they’re going to hear about how they hired another Amherst College graduate and another New Hampshire guy." Couple Cherington with new team President Travis Williams, and it is "hard to say that the Pirates have not improved this offseason" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 11/16).
BATTING AVERAGE: In Boston, Peter Abraham wrote Cherington "could be a perfect match" with the Pirates, as he has "excelled at the smaller moves" when he ran the Red Sox. But the expensive decisions "were his undoing," like when he signed Rusney Castillo, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. Abraham: "Cherington knows scouting and player development and that is what the Pirates need" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/16).
