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Dennis Eckersley is a striaght shooter. So when the Boston Red Sox visited the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, he didn't hold back from sharing his thoughts on the organization.
The Red Sox broadcaster was taken aback by the Pirates' lackluster lineup and meager payroll, which ranks near the bottom of the league at approximately $66 million.
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"You talk about a no-name lineup. There's no team like this," Eckersley said. "I’d love to see some of the service time when you add it all up. It’s not much. We just came from Kansas City, seeing all of those young kids. This is different, though. Doesn’t it seem different?”
“This is a hodgepodge of nothingness," he added. "It's ridiculous, it really is. Pathetic."
Eck's comments unsurprisingly made their way into the Pittsburgh clubhouse. Asked about the harsh remarks, Pirates All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds fired a shot of his own at the Hall of Famer.
“I couldn’t give any less of a crap what that guy has to say," Reynolds said, per Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette.
The Pirates currently are last in the National League Central with a 45-71 record. Their general manager Ben Cherington, who served as Boston's GM from 2011-15, has focused on rebuilding the farm system since joining Pittsburgh's front office in 2019.
There's reason to believe the Pirates are on the rise, but that doesn't make Eckersley's assessment any less true. Aside from Reynolds, infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes and top prospect Oneil Cruz, there isn't a whole lot to cheer about at PNC Park these days.
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Red Sox fans will miss these Eckersley rants after this season. The 67-year-old announced he is retiring from broadcasting to spend more time with his family.
