The Pittsburgh Pirates finished last season with a 76-86 record, missing the playoffs for the ninth straight year. After a disappointing 12-26 start in 2025, the Pirates fired Derek Shelton, who was in his sixth season as the team’s manager.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes acknowledged that the team isn’t playing well enough and Pittsburgh's lack of success made the change necessary. “I wasn’t shocked. At the end of the day we’re 12-26. Someone’s gotta be held accountable. Unfortunately, right now it’s him. That’s just kinda how it goes,” Skenes said of Shelton’s firing, per Talkin’ Baseball on X.

“I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is we need to play better. So, that’s been the messaging today, that’s been the messaging for a little bit now and we’ve still gotta do that,” Skenes added.

The Pirates hope staff shakeup leads to more wins

May 1, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch to Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki (27) during the first inning at PNC Park.
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Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024 with a remarkable season. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.947 WHIP and 214 ERA+. He was named the National League starter for the All-Star Game and earned NL Rookie of the Year honors.

Things have gone a bit less smoothly for Skenes this season. He’s still produced dominant outings but the Pirates have offered even less run support, making wins difficult to come by. In eight starts in 2025, Skenes is 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA, 0.945 WHIP and 154 ERA+. His K/9 rate is down from 11.5 in 2024 to 8.7 this season.

Still, Skenes is one of the Pirates’ few bright spots. And fans should enjoy him while they can as his predicted free agent price tag of $500 million will likely be too rich for Pittsburgh to meet. Fortunately, Skenes doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2029 season.

After parting ways with Shelton, the Pirates named bench coach Don Kelly as the team’s manager. It will not be easy turning the club around. The Pirates have lost seven straight games and 10 of their last 11. Pittsburgh is already 10 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.