The Pittsburgh Pirates Part Ways With Assistant GM Kyle Stark

The front office overhaul continues with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ben Cherington is in as the new General Manager following the departure of Neal Huntington. Now, an assistant of Huntington’s is on his way out the door as well.

The Pittsburgh Pirates confirmed today that the organization has let go of assistant general manager Kyle Stark. Newly hired team president Travis Williams offered this statement on Stark’s release, per WTAE in Pittsburgh:

“On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Kyle for his hard work and dedication for more than a decade of his career… He was a key part of the baseball operations team that helped bring postseason baseball back to Pittsburgh. We wish him and his family the best.”

Stark is a Pennsylvania native, born in Bradford, PA. Stark was a member of the Cleveland Indians’ Baseball Operations department prior to his position in Pittsburgh. Huntington offered the assistant general manager position to Stark after the two met in Cleveland. He had served in his assistant general manager role since 2007.

According to his MLB.com bio, Stark was heavily involved with personnel and strategic decisions alongside Huntington with the Pirates.

While the departure of Stark is not earth shattering news by any stretch, it serves to make a point. That point is that Travis Williams and Ben Cherington seem to understand there is more than one issue with this organization. Perhaps Stark was one of the better minds within the front office. The quote from Williams certainly reflects that, as he credits Stark with helping the Pirates reach October.

Still, no team president, especially a new one, is going to talk down on previous front office members. Whether Stark was a positive or negative to the Pirates, it is clear that Williams wants to establish his own regime within the club.