Lessons about Bucs from Winter Meetings

SAN DIEGO -- In some ways, this week has been a crash course for Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton.

Even now, nearly a month after he was hired, Cherington said he's still settling into his role. He has spent long days and evenings at the Manchester Grand Hyatt surrounded by the Pirates' front office staff, getting to know the roster he inherited and his new colleagues at the same time.

"It's been good. I think they're being patient with me [as] I'm getting up to speed on a lot of things. That sometimes means I'm not able to give as much time as I'd like to everybody," Cherington said, laughing. "So it's been a little mini organizational meeting."

Their work is only just beginning, but here are four things we've learned about the Pirates at the Winter Meetings:

1) Starling Marte is drawing interest.

We knew heading into this week that Marte's name would pop up in a bunch of trade rumors. He's a valuable center fielder and top-of-the-order hitter with two reasonably affordable club option years remaining on his contract, and the Pirates can add talent to their farm system by dealing, arguably, their most appealing trade chip.

Sure enough, Marte has been linked to the Mets, even after they acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick from the Astros, and the prospect-loaded Padres, even after they picked up Tommy Pham in a deal with the Rays.

The Padres, whose continued interest in Marte was reported by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, are a particularly intriguing trade partner because of their collection of young talent in the Majors and Minors. San Diego is the rare club that boasts impact catching depth throughout the organization, from defensive-minded big leaguer Austin Hedges to such MLB-ready or near-ready prospects as Francisco Mejia and Luis Torrens.

Shelton said he spoke with Marte not long after he was hired, and he didn't take any issue with Marte's recent statement that he'd prefer to play for a World Series contender, whether it's in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

"I think you want to hear all of your players say, 'Hey, we want to win,'" Shelton said. "He wants to win. That's good. I want to win, too. We're on the same page there."

Moving Marte would create a huge hole in center field, but Cherington confirmed on Wednesday the Pirates would be comfortable playing Bryan Reynolds there on an everyday basis if the situation called for it.

2) They know they need catching.

Cherington said it. Shelton acknowledged it. Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove stressed the importance of adding of a veteran catcher. There's no doubt the Pirates' biggest need this winter is help behind the plate.

The Pirates will add at least one catcher, and likely more than one, this offseason. Reports have suggested they are seeking a young, controllable catcher in trade talks, although Cherington said they would more likely target the best collection of talent rather than filling a specific need in the Minors.

But two questions remain: What are they looking for? And how will any potential acquisition fit with returning catcher Jacob Stallings?

"I think we're looking for the best guy. I don't mean that as a cop-out, but it's definitely the best guy that's available, whether it's through a free-agent signing or through making a deal," Shelton said. "I think it's a job of our group, our scouts, our information team, then [assistant GMs Kevan Graves and Steve Sanders] and myself to figure out, OK, there's a list of guys who are available, whether it's through trade or free agent, and we get the best guy. Then we make sure that that best guy fits not only our club right now, but how we're going to progress going forward."

3) They're making progress on a pitching coach.

While most of the industry is focused on free-agent signings and trades, the Pirates still need to finalize their Major League coaching staff and player development staff. Cherington said they are talking to special assistants David Eckstein and Jeff Banister, for instance, about maintaining roles within the organization. But one hire is clearly at the top of the Pirates' to-do list. Cherington said Wednesday they have been "active with interviewing" pitching coach candidates this week, and they want to make that hire before addressing the other vacancies.

It's worth noting that Shelton worked alongside pitching coach Wes Johnson in Minnesota, and Johnson made the unusual step from coaching college baseball to a Major League staff. The Pirates seem to be looking for someone who can connect with their young pitchers in a similar way to help them maximize their talent.

"Not an age, but a growth mindset and the right experience and skills and ability to build relationships. All those things, we're looking for," Cherington said. "I would say, no, we're not looking for a type in terms of level of experience or not. He could be very experienced or not as experienced. All those other things would be important for us."

4) Players are buying what the manager's selling.

Shelton has been reaching out to players since he was hired, establishing the foundation of relationships that the Pirates hope will create trust and a positive environment in their clubhouse. Everyone who has spoken to Shelton has raved about his friendly attitude, his honest communication and his desire to create a "player-centric" culture in Pittsburgh.

"Shelton's whole big spiel immediately when I met him was, 'Hey, this is going to be player-centric. We're going to focus on players. We're going to make sure you guys are doing what you need to do to get ready,'" left-hander Steven Brault said. "But also, there's going to be a trust there, which is going to be nice. And then Cherington, he just has a presence. He's just one of those guys that you talk to, and you're like, 'Hey, this guy's in charge.' But he seems like a really good guy, too. He's also talked about being player-centric. All the players are pretty excited about it."

What exactly does that mean, in the manager's mind? He explained during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

"It's going to be about the player. We're going to have communication. We're going to have feedback. We're going to allow them to have feedback," Shelton said. "We're going to allow them to tell us how they're feeling. … We'll have the say on how we're going to do things, but we're going to include them. I think any time you include players, especially in today's environment, you're going to get more out of them. The most important thing is them knowing where we stand and us knowing where they stand."