Pirates fans need to be wary about recent coaching hires for this exact reason

As baseball's hot stove begins to simmer, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been busy behind the scenes making changes to their coaching and baseball operations staffs.

The Pirates first announced late last month that they had hired former Cleveland Guardians executive Kevin Tenenbaum as their new vice president of research and development, a role in which he will oversee the club's analytics team. Then came last week's news that the Pirates had filled the hitting coach vacancy left by the recently-fired Andy Haines by hiring former Pittsburgh draft pick and Toronto Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Matt Hague.

Finally, perhaps the most surprising hire by the Pirates this offseason has been that of assistant pitching coach Brent Strom. Widely regarded as one of the sharpest pitching minds in baseball, Strom was dismissed by the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of the 2024 season as part of a slew of changes to the club's coaching staff after a disappointing finish.

The Strom hire in particular was largely seen as a coup for Pittsburgh, whose pitching staff will now have the opportunity to work with a highly touted coach who previously led the Houston Astros to a World Series win in 2017 and saw them make the ALCS in five consecutive seasons.

Pirates fans need to be wary about recent coaching hires for this exact reason

Indeed, the Pirates have had a busy November making personnel changes off the field; but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be making impactful personnel changes on it.

Staff changes are an important first step for an organization that is serious about building a winning culture. But if the Pirates were really that serious, they'd be willing to shell out the financial resources to acquire elite players. These new hires may be able to get more out of the players who are currently on the Pirates' roster; but it's foolish to think that a hitting coach, an assistant pitching coach and a data scientist can undo three decades of mediocrity.

The best case scenario is that these hires are setting the tone for an aggressive offseason that will see the Pirates investing resources to improve their roster. But we all know how cheap this team is, so that scenario is highly unlikely. If the Pirates really care about putting a winning product on the field, perhaps they should invest more in those who actually play ... on the field.

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