Let’s not sugarcoat anything—we all saw that Derek Shelton’s firing was coming, right? With the Pittsburgh Pirates struggling in this season for quite some time, it was no surprise that someone had to face the aftermath. And as expected, finally it happened—the Pirates fired Derek Shelton on Thursday and the decision came from the Pirates’ GM, Ben Cherington, who was the one appointing Shelton long back in 2019. Now this firing prompted MLB insider Ken Rosenthal to give a strict warning that may send shockwaves to others in MLB.

Derek Shelton’s firing, though, might not be the solution to the Pirates’ poor 12-26 record. The fans booed him loudly when he was introduced as the manager last month. Although he tried his best, trying to ignore the frustration of fans owing to the franchise that looked stalled and outdated, the hammer finally came down on him, ultimately relieving him of his duties.

During a recent interview in the Foul Territory, Ken Rosenthal, when asked about whether with Shelton’s firing there are more dominos to fall, came up with a unique response. Rosenthal said, “It shouldn’t have any effect on any other team. Every team has its own organism, but you are right; often that does happen.” Recalling an unexpected incident that happened when his son was born, Rosenthal cited how in just three days, three managers were fired—the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Royals.

“But yes, these things do tend to run in waves and they often take place around this time every year, when the season is getting a little bit deeper and, well, a little bit too early maybe.” Let’s be fair and real. Ken Rosenthal thinks that he won’t be surprised if few managers get fired soon, even.

Not to forget that it was the sixth year of the Ben Cherington-Derek Shelton regime and also the sixth straight loss this season as well. So, the termination was very much on the cards. But it surely isn’t the first domino to fall.

Rosenthal feels that there are two more guys who may be in trouble as well—Brandon Hyde and Rocco Baldelli. Although nothing’s obvious, Hyde is not the only reason behind the Orioles’ performance; rather, it has been their rotation. On the other hand, Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins are doing fairly better, which makes the firing unlikely. However, Rosenthal still feels that this kind of sudden incident happens in waves sometimes.

However, a question remains….

Will Shelton’s firing save the sinking ship of the Pirates?

Well, we need to wait and watch what happens with the Pittsburgh Pirates now having a new manager. Don Kelly, who has been the bench coach since 2020, will look to turn the fate back for the Pirates. Derek Shelton finally made his way out of the Steel City with a 306-440 record and during his tenure, the Pirates’ .410 winning percentage will remain etched as a bad memory of being the third worst in MLB.

However, putting all blame on Shelton isn’t just unfair; rather, it’s awkward.

Shelton was bad, but he was also made a scapegoat. For those unaware, the Pirates have won 80 games only four times since 1992, which is itself a disaster. More importantly, Bob Nutting didn’t sign a free agent since 2017. The Pirates didn’t have better players who could have stood to the occasion. But that’s not all!

Nutting went on with a smaller payroll, neither spending enough to bring in players nor building any proper ballparks; rather focused more on turning it into a profit-making franchise. And as expected, the fans lost their hopes, the players lost their zeal to perform and the outcome? Well, we all know.

Do you think Derek Shelton was the only reason behind the Pirates’ debacle this season?