How are the Pirates still in this mess in Year 5?
Ben Cherington. Derek Shelton. Year 5. The Pittsburgh Pirates, fresh off a 2-4 home stand that likely just cemented their status as trade deadline sellers, are headed down a familiar road: mediocrity. Ben Cherington acquired a plethora of free agents this offseason that theoretically would fill holes on the Pirates roster. The problem is that nearly every single free agent bombed. Michael A. Taylor can’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Yasmani Grandal was likely about to ride into the sunset before the Pirates coughed up $2.5 million for his services, whatever those are. Martin Perez has been okay for what the Pirates need. Rowdy Tellez has been much better over the past month but was so bad to start the year, he was openly being boo’d at PNC Park. Oh, yeah, there’s also Aroldis Chapman. The $10.5 million man who was not really a need in any way, shape, or form but still received money that could’ve went towards an actual bat in the lineup. As a result of this LeBron James-esque fl...