Report: Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Search Down To Three Finalists

According to a report, the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager search is down to three finalists

The Pittsburgh Pirates could be closing in on hiring their new general manager. According to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the team has three finalists for their open general manager position.

Sherman mentions Milwaukee Brewers senior vice president and assistant general manager Matt Arnold as one of the finalists. Former Boston Red Sox general manager, and current Toronto Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations, Ben Cherington is also mentioned by Sherman. The third name, however, is not mentioned. Two potential candidates that could be the third finalist are Billy Owens of the Oakland Athletics and Armando Velasco of the Houston Astros.

Last week it was reported that Cherington was a candidate to be hired as the team’s head of baseball operations. It appears, however, that his candidacy with the Pirates might be as general manager.

Former general manager Neal Huntington served as both general manager and vice president of baseball operations. Due to this the team may look to continue to have the same person fill both positions. The smart move would be to have their general manager be separate from their head of baseball operations, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Both Arnold and, obviously, Cherington are names that have been previously connected to the Pirates. Additionally, both would be strong hires by the Pirates. Arnold comes from one of the most forward thinking and analytical driven franchises in the sport in the Brewers, while Cherington won a World Series as general manager of the Red Sox.

With the general manager meetings set to kick off tomorrow the offseason will really be in full gear making it a priority for the Pirates to get a full time general manager hired ASAP. Stay tuned with Rum Bunter for all the latest news on the Pirates general manager search as the search appears to be close to ending.