Pirates show faith in Don Kelly with massive announcement day after season ends

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday morning that interim manager Don Kelly has been signed to a contract extension beyond the 2025 season.

Kelly took over as the Pirates' manager in early May, when Derek Shelton was relieved of his duties following a 12-26 start to the season. The Pirates, who went 59-65 under Kelly, also went 32-33 following the All-Star break.

The Pirates also had a 37-25 home record under Kelly, which was the ninth-best home winning percentage in all of baseball. Pittsburgh’s 3.59 staff ERA under Kelly was also the fourth-best mark in the league from dating back to his managerial debut on May 9.

"Donnie earned the respect of the players, front office, and our fans – and he has certainly earned mine,” Pirates owner Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Donnie took over the team at a true low point. Since then, we’ve seen meaningful progress, not just in the clubhouse culture, but on the field."

Nutting went on to say that Kelly was "the right fit, at the right time" to lead the Pirates forward. Now, if only the organization would support him by actually spending some money in free agency to field a playoff team.

Pirates extending Don Kelly's contract is a positive step, but not enough to make Pittsburgh a playoff team

While they did improve under Kelly, the Pirates went 71-91 this season to finish last in the National League Central for the second consecutive year. Pittsburgh hasn't made the postseason since 2015 and has had 29 losing seasons in the last 33 years.

The Pirates figure to have one of the better pitching rotations in baseball next season, but their offense finished 2025 ranked the worst in the Majors. Unfortunately, a good manager isn't going to singlehandedly change that.

"Ben and everyone in the organization fully understands what is expected, and that the work ahead demands urgency," Nutting said. "Today's announcement of Donnie is the first of many steps we will take this offseason to bring winning baseball back to Pittsburgh."

The first of many, you say? If you asked most Pirates fans, they would tell you that steps 2 and 3 are no-brainers: Fire general manager Ben Cherington, and spend actual money in free agency (and not just on aging stopgaps). The onus falls on Nutting to make either (or both) of those things happen.

"This season, we fell well short as an organization both on and off the field," Nutting said. "It has been unacceptable. Our focus must shift to execution, to delivering wins. Results are the only thing that matter. We owe it to our fans, to the city, and to the legacy of this team to get it right."

Nutting is saying all the right things. Now, he has to put those words into action. Extending Kelly was a solid first step, but the Pirates aren't going to show any meaningful improvement without an overhaul in the front office and the way they conduct business – beginning with the current offseason.