As many expected would happen eventually, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their decision to dismiss manager Derek Shelton. Considering they've finished in the bottom two of the National League Central standings each of his five full seasons, this was overdue.
But as Pittsburgh stuck with a bad hire in Shelton for far too long, their division rival Chicago Cubs, took a different, unconventional approach. Rather than clinging onto ex-skipper David Ross, they paid a new voice — handsomely — to restore order in the clubhouse, à la Craig Counsell.
Chicago stunned the baseball world when it signed Counsell, poaching him from another NL Central foe, the Milwaukee Brewers. But folks especially lost it when they saw that the Cubs made him the highest-paid manager in MLB history on a per-year basis. However, team president Jed Hoyer must be feeling good about their investment.
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Cubs splurging on Craig Counsell is further validated by the Pirates firing Derek Shelton
Counsell enjoyed a successful eight-plus season stint with the Brewers before joining the Cubs. Milwaukee made five postseason appearances and claimed three NL Central titles under his watch. Yet, he didn't boast a résumé that merited record-shattering money (at the time), though that didn't stop Chicago from aggressively pursuing him.
The Cubs didn't fare well with Ross at the helm from 2020 to 2023, going 262-284. Pittsburgh wasn't much worse with a 218-328 record during that stretch. Nonetheless, Chicago recognized it was time for a change and went in a different direction roughly 18 months earlier than the Pirates.
Time is pricelessly valuable, and the Pirates wasted a whole bunch of it waiting for Shelton to right the ship. Not only has Pittsburgh misspent its own time, but everyone involved has come along for the unceremonious ride. The Pirate Parrot, fans and arguably most importantly, second-year superstar hurler Paul Skenes, have all paid for the organization's lack of urgency.
Don't play with your food when you have a generational starting pitching talent on the roster like Skenes. The Pirates should maximize their current window with him under contract through 2029. Keeping Shelton around as long as they did had quite the opposite effect, while Counsell guides to contend for a pennant.