MLB

Pirates fire manager Derek Shelton and name Don Kelly interim manager

It’s zero fault of Shelton’s that Pittsburgh, year after year, fails to spend at a competitive rate. That lack of effort obviously makes it hard for any manager to win with the Pirates, yet the 54-year-old’s teams in 2023 and 2024 fared reasonably well, finishing 76-86 both seasons. Progress has come to a screeching halt this year, though, as Pittsburgh is just 12-26. A slow start like that will put just about any skipper in hot water, and following five postseason-less seasons, the Pirates had enough.

It’s hard to envision much changing as the club moves on to Kelly. A fresh voice isn’t the worst thing in the world for a struggling team, but Shelton wasn’t the problem in Pittsburgh; a weak roster is. Regression to the mean is likely at some point this year, but don’t expect the Pirates to hit 70 wins in 2025.

Nonetheless, Kelly is well regarded across the sport, so he has a decent chance of obtaining the managerial job on a full-time basis. Pittsburgh is capable of achieving success — look no further than the franchise’s 2013-2015 stretch — but the organization needs to match the commitment to winning of its division rivals for the paradigm to shift in the Steel City.

Grade: C