WHAT PIRATE fans need to know in relation to their baseball club.

Last Week: It’s all about Paul Skenes.

Today: Actions speak louder than words: Ben Cherington.

Next Week: Non-actions speak louder than words: Bob Nutting.

In Two Weeks: A Brave New Pirates World.

Ben Cherington talks a good game, but does nothing to give one to Pirates fans.

It’s difficult to think that the Pirates are any better now than they were in 2019, but easy to agree that they are worse.

With Paul Skenes being wasted in his first year in Pirate Purgatory, the pressure was on Cherington to bring in some bats last off-season. His answer was to sign Adam Frazier (three homers and 21 RBIs in 78 games) and Tommy Pham (His first home run came in the team’s 80th game of the season, June 23), expecting bottom feeders to rebound wearing a Pirates uni.

With a second Skenes season slipping away, Cherington promised to rectify the failures at the trade deadline: “We need to find ways…to put ourselves in a better position going forward to increase the chances of the Pirates being a winning team in 2026 and beyond,” he said. “That’s our only focus.”

But actions speak louder than words, especially from someone whose words never jive with his actions.

So “our only focus” brought nine new players. Not one was added to the major-league roster; none is included in any top-100 prospects list. The majority are in Class A; only one has played in the majors (5.1 innings pitched). And not one can realistically help the Bucs until 2027 or 2028.

What’s worse is the cost:

• Ke’Bryan Hayes, the highest-rated defensive player (defensive runs saved) every season since 2020 at any position and the prohibitive favorite to win his second Gold Glove award in three seasons. The trade removes about $36 million that Hayes is owed over the next three-plus seasons.

Working with Altoona hitting coach Jon Nunnally in 2023, Hayes became a different batter, but after the season, the Pittsburgh fired Nunally, reportedly irritated with his unsanctioned help. Hayes regressed with the bat in 2024 and hasn’t recovered.

Hayes signed an eight-year $70 million deal in 2022 (club option for 2030). The top average salary the eight current highest paid third basemen is three times Hayes’ deal, with the top three earning more than $30 million. Hayes’ $8 million a year is what average subs would make in 2025.

His replacement, Gold Glove winner at both the minor- and major-league levels—Jared Triolo—will make under $1 million in his 2026 season.

• David Bednar, the NL Reliever of the Month for June, is a top-five closer who recently regained his mound success. The righty went 17 for 17 in save opportunities and had a streak of 23 appearances without allowing an earned run before the trade. An anomaly who actually wanted to play for the Pirates, was active in year-round charitable activities in the community.

He will be due a hefty raise in his final arbitration-eligible year from his current $5.9 million contract and can be a free agent after 2026. Current possible replacements as closer would earn much less, including Dennis Santana as a final-arbitration eligible candidate following his $1.4 million current deal.

• Baily Falter, whose seven wins when traded were the most of any Pirate pitcher, inked a one-year $2.2 million deal for 2025 and is arbitration eligible for each of the next two seasons. And other than Andrew Heaney (5-10 record and a free agent this off-season), Falter was the only lefty starter on the staff.

“I think we took an important step,” Cherington said, explaining the Pirates wanted to add young talent, create opportunity for the rest of 2025, and give themselves “maneuverability” this offseason.

So which of the young talent will help during Paul Skenes final year in Pittsburgh? and who are the young players getting opportunities for the future: Jack Suwinski; Alexander Canario; and Pham, Heaney, and Isiah Kiner-Kalefa — all three of whom are free agents in waiting?

Cherington admitted that the Pirates “had access to players who were higher ranked” than the ones they accepted and denied that the salary dumps (which will save the Pirates $16 million next year alone, along with another $16.5 million saved by the expected trade of Mitch Keller in the off-season) were in fact salary dumps.

“Yeah I think it’s important to emphasize first that if we make a trade involving a player on a contract, as we did in the case of Hayes,” Cherington insisted, “we would never make a trade in order to save money.”

As always—just ask Rowdy Tellez—Cherington’s actions disprove his words.