Report: Three GM Candidates To Get A Second Interview With The Pittsburgh Pirates

With three candidates lined up for a second interview, the Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be closing in on hiring a new general manager

Two weeks ago yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates fired general manager Neal Huntington. This brought Huntington’s 12 year run as GM in Pittsburgh to an end. Well, according to multiple reports the Pirates have three GM candidates that will be receiving a second interview with the team. This means that the team could be closing in on hiring their next GM.

The first report came from Robert Murray of The Athletic. Murray reported that Milwaukee Brewers senior vice president and assistant general manager Matt Arnold will be sitting down with the Pirates this week. This will be Arnold’s second interview for the team’s GM position.

Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold will interview once again for Pirates GM opening, sources say. The meeting is expected to take place this week.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 13, 2019

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network would then build upon Murray’s report. Heyman added that former Boston Red Sox GM and current Toronto Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington will also receive a second interview this week.

Arnold and Cherington both have followup interviews with the Pirates for the GM job this week. They are seen as the co-favorites. @ByRobertMurray 1st with Arnold info https://t.co/sYCg63NL8d
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 13, 2019

Both Arnold and Cherington would be strong hires. The Brewers are one of the most forward thinking and analytical driven franchises in baseball. This is why they have had so much success in recent seasons, and Arnold has helped build this.

As for Cherington, while his tenure in Boston ended tumultuously he did build a World Series Championship club in Boston in 2013. Furthermore, he has received great praise for the work he has down to help rebuild the Blue Jays’ minor league system.

The third candidate that will receive a second interview is Kevan Graves. This is according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

My source confirms this report @ByRobertMurray. Also, Ben Cherington and Kevan Graves appear to be set for another round of interviews this week in Pittsburgh. https://t.co/EkJZI0kmiy
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) November 13, 2019

Graves is currently serving as the team’s interim GM and is widely respected in baseball circles. Prior to hiring Scott Harris over the weekend, the San Francisco Giants also interviewed Graves for their open GM position.

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While Graves appears to be a future GM in baseball, it would probably serve the team well to cut all ties with the former regime. Due to this, they should look to make the GM hire be an external one. Graves, of course, would not be an external hire.

As the Pirates’ GM search continues make sure to stay tuned here at Rum Bunter as we will have you covered.

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