AP
FILE – In this Nov. 18, 2019, file photo, Ben Cherington, right, arrives with team owner Bob Nutting, to a news conference where Cherington was introduced as the new general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, in Pittsburgh. All the unusual circumstances surrounding this abbreviated season create plenty of obstacles for teams looking to upgrade their rosters before Monday’s, Aug. 31, 2020, trade deadline. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Ben Cherington had no specific information Sunday about his attempts to finalize trades before the MLB trading deadline at 4 p.m. Monday.
He was as vague as possible on his radio show on KDKA-FM, especially when he said, “You’re learning information that may or may not lead to anything in the next 24 hours, information that can help us, possibly, in the next 24 hours and certainly, possibly, down the road or in the offseason.”
The Pirates’ general manager said his team of nearly 30 front-office people is working to gather as much information as possible about players who might be available and other teams’ plans for those players. He said a smaller group within those 30 people are in contact with other teams.
“We’re doing a lot of work, just looking at where opportunities might be, having conversations, learning as much as we can about what other teams are interested in doing,” he said.
Cherington, who is approaching his first trade deadline as the Pirates’ general manager, most likely is looking to acquire players that can help in the long term. The Pirates are 10-21 after beating Milwaukee on Sunday to start the second half of the season.
But he had no intention of revealing any details of his plan.
“We have to be disciplined and patient and let those opportunities come to us,” he said, “making sure that we’re hitting on the ones we really think will add long-term value.
“The fun part for us is just digging into concepts, digging into trying to go through the intellectual challenge of trying to figure out how to solve for things that will help the Pirates, trying to put ourselves in the shoes of other teams and thinking about what they’re trying to do.
“We don’t need to make trades to make trades, but we do need to stay actively engaged and on the phones and learn as much as we can.”
There haven’t been many trades in the majors as of Sunday afternoon, but Cherington said that’s not necessarily an indicator of what’s to come.
“There are still more than 24 hours to go, and that’s a long, long time for front offices,” he said. “A lot can still happen. We’ll see.”
Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier, who played left field in two of the past three games, has been the subject of trade speculation since December. It hasn’t escaped his notice.
“Everybody’s paying attention, really. Not just for our team, but around the league,” he said. “Some lives will be uprooted. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Steven Brault remembers deadline days in the past creating a variety of emotions in the Pirates clubhouse.
“Trevor (Williams) likes to joke around about it. The guy’s a jokester,” he said.
“It’s a weird time,” said Brault, who’s seen teammates Mark Melancon, Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows traded over the past four seasons. “I’ve been around enough now. My first year, the second day I was in the big leagues, Mark Melancon got traded, and that was a huge deal. That was an emotional day.
“This is kind of part of the game. It’s still a weird experience, but we’re kind of used to it.
“We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours. Hopefully, we’re all be Pirates two days from now.”
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Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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