The general feeling is that Ben Cherington is in his final months as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager.

Many expect owner Bob Nutting to fire Cherington either sometime after the July 31 trade deadline or when the season ends on Sept. 28. The move seems inevitable with the Pirates having a 38-56 record and sitting in last place in the National League Central, 17.5 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

Not so fast, though.

Multiple baseball sources inside and outside the Pirates’ organization have told Pittsburgh Baseball Now that they believe Cherington has at least a decent chance of being back in 2026. The general feeling among baseball people is that Nutting still believes in Cherington after 5.5 uninspiring seasons and that he also doesn’t want to let the GM go with two years remaining on his contract.

Nutting paid former GM Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle after they were fired. He is paying Derek Shelton, who was axed as manager on May 9.

So, it seems unlikely that Nutting would pay Cherington two years’ salary for not working.

Despite his team’s current six-game losing streak, Nutting is said to be encouraged with the way the Pirates have played since bench coach Don Kelly was promoted to replace Shelton. Nutting is also happy how well Kelly, a Western Pennsylvania native, has been received by the fans.

The Pirates started the season by going 12-26 under Shelton and are 26-30 since the managerial switch.

While the Pirates are a long way from being contenders, Nutting has at least thought about how a Cherington-Kelly pairing might work out over a full season in 2026. Kelly’s contract expires at the end of this season, but almost certainly will be retained if Cherington is not fired.

How that will affect Cherington’s work between now and the MLB trade deadline on July 31 remains to be seen. However, teams who have talked with the Pirates say Cherington wants major-league players or those on the cusp of the big leagues.

In other words, Cherington is unlikely to do something such as trade Mitch Keller for three prospects at the Class A level.

However, it seems that club president Travis Williams’ tenure could be coming to an end in October. Sources indicate that Williams is more likely to be fired than Cherington.

The Pirates had two major public relations blunders during the first month of the season, and Williams accepted the blame for both.

They removed a sign honoring Roberto Clemente on the right-field wall at PNC Park and replaced it with an advertisement for Surfside, an alcoholic drink. The decision was reversed two days later after a backlash from Clemente’s family and Pirates’ fans.

Then there was the Bucco Bricks situation. The commemorative bricks were found at a dumpsite in Westmoreland County after being dug out in front of the home plate gate at PNC Park during the winter as part of sidewalk renovations.

That news angered many fans who bought bricks before the ballpark’s opening in 2021 as tributes to family members and friends, many of whom were deceased. The Pirates announced on Thursday that the bricks will be replaced by the start of next season.

Williams was hired to replace the fired Frank Coonelly before the 2020 season when Cherington and Shelton also joined the Pirates as part of a massive organizational overhaul.

Williams’ previous professional sports experience had been in the NHL, mostly with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Williams has never seemed comfortable in the baseball world and hasn’t been able to connect with the fans.

The Pirates made a major change this year when they fired Shelton. Seemingly more change is on the way, but it might not involve Cherington.