Former NY Mets manager Luis Rojas is a good candidate to captain a sinking ship

For many New York Mets fans, Luis Rojas' time as manager was pretty forgettable. In his two seasons at the helm, he had a record of 103-119 and failed to make the postseason. Fans will remember him as the guy who took the job after Carlos Beltran was fired due to his connections to the Houston Astros' cheating scandal. As well as the man who led the Mets during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, one of the craziest seasons in baseball history.

However, just because Rojas' time with the Mets wasn’t successful, it doesn’t mean he can’t be a good big league manager. We’ve seen many managers struggle in their first attempt as managers, only to succeed on their second try. This is something that Bob Nightengale wrote about in his most recent article, and listed Rojas as one of these potential options. If Rojas gets a second opportunity, the best place for it to be is with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  

Although dysfunctional the Pirates it’s the perfect place for Luis Rojas to get a second chance 

For the past decade, no team has been as dysfunctional and mismanaged as the Pirates. Ever since the Pirates made the postseason for three straight seasons from 2013-15, they’ve not come close to the playoffs. They have finished over .500 only once during that span and have lost 90+ games in three of those seasons. 2025 looks to be yet another loss season, as the Pirates are currently 64-80 and sit 12.5 games out of a playoff spot.

Pirates fans might be tired of a rebuild, but it's the perfect situation for Rojas to take over. One of the biggest things working against him with the Mets was the expectations. While the roster wasn't great, with Steve Cohen stating that he expects to win a World Series in five years, fans felt that they should be in the postseason, and anything less would be considered a failure. That's a lot of pressure to put on a rookie manager. However, in Pittsburgh, those expectations won't exist. The goal is to get better, allowing Rojas to not be under a microscope and learn on the job.

There is also how long Pirates stay with managers. One of the few positives you can say about Pirates owners Bob Nutting is his loyalty. Even though it's sometimes to the detriment of the team, Nutting has given managers a long leash. Derek Shelton was given six and a half seasons before he was fired, and Clint Hurdle was given nine and a half seasons. This takes pressure off Rojas because a few mistakes won't cost him his job. He can experiment and learn what does and doesn't work without constantly fearing his job is on the line.

Now it's not guaranteed that Rojas will even be interviewed for the Pirates job. Reports indicate that the current roster is fond of interim manager Don Kelly and hopes he will stay on for the 2026 season. But if the Pirates decide to go in a different direction, Rojas should do whatever it takes to become the team's manager.