Pirates mailbag: Has Oneil Cruz reached his ceiling? Ben Cherington becoming more secure?

On his weekly mailbag podcast, Post-Gazette Pirates insider Noah Hiles answers reader questions. Among them: How should the front office manage the Oneil Cruz situation heading into next season, with major questions looming over his ability to become a true MLB star? Is GM Ben Cherington's job secure if this team is able to finish close to the .500 mark under manager Don Kelly? Was moving Bubba Chandler into the starting rotation next to Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller a wise idea? How much should Braxton Ashcraft's workload be managed moving forward? And if the Pirates can only keep one of Andrew McCutchen or Tommy Pham for 2026, which one should they choose? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.