The Pirates thought they had seen the ceiling with Oscar Marin. A year later, the Reds might be about to test that idea in the most uncomfortable way possible for Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati has Marin on its list for the opening at pitching coach, with president of baseball operations Nick Krall confirming that Marin and assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy both interviewed for the job left open by Derek Johnson’s departure. If Marin lands it, the Pirates will be staring at a division rival trusting the same coach they decided to let go after the 2025 season.
That decision raised eyebrows at the time. Marin had spent six years as Pittsburgh’s pitching coach, and during that stretch the staff became one of the club’s biggest strengths under Ben Cherington.
The Pirates ended 2025 with a 3.76 ERA, third-best in the National League, and they led MLB with 19 shutouts. Marin also helped bring a wave of young arms into the majors, including Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft.
Still, Pittsburgh chose a reset after getting input from pitchers and deciding the group could go further with a different voice. Don Kelly later said the Pirates wanted someone who could keep challenging their young arms, and the job went to former Houston Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy.
It appears many of the pitchers voiced their opinion that they were not satisfied with Oscar Marin and therefore the reason the Pirates moved on.
(via @JMackeyPG on @937theFan) pic.twitter.com/4eHV2GeRb9
- 𝐍𝐒𝟗 (@NorthShoreNine) October 2, 2025
What has made the move even more interesting is how the first months of the post-Marin era in Pittsburgh have played out. The results under Murphy have been mixed, with Paul Skenes going through a disappointing campaign while Braxton Ashcraft and Mason Montgomery have posted breakout seasons.
Marin, meanwhile, has already made himself useful in Cincinnati. He joined the Reds as bullpen coach, then helped Tracy manage pitching responsibilities when Johnson took an indefinite personal leave in June. With Johnson not returning, Marin now has a real path back to the title Pittsburgh decided he no longer deserved.
There’s also a larger overhaul happening in Cincinnati’s pitching department. Johnson wasn’t just the big-league pitching coach; he had a hand in the organization’s philosophy from the majors to the minors. Krall has already criticized the staff for too many walks and hit-by-pitches, which makes this vacancy a major one for the Reds as they try to reset their development model.
That gives Marin a chance to show the Pirates may have moved on too quickly. Pittsburgh doesn’t have to regret the change by default, especially with Murphy inheriting one of the game’s most talented young pitching groups. But Marin helped lay the groundwork there, and if he ends up steering Cincinnati’s staff into a better place, the Pirates’ decision to let him go will look a lot harder to explain.
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