Pirates have 'level of hope' on working out Griffin extension

Ben Cherington had the opportunity to shoot down outside speculation over a potential contract extension for Konnor Griffin.

The Pirates general manager did no such thing.

Speaking with reporters at PNC Park prior to Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Cherington said there’s “a level of hope” when it comes to something getting done, outlining similar levels of belief and comfort that exist between the Pirates and Griffin’s camp.

“[Long-term contracts] aren’t something we talk about publicly,” Cherington said. “But if I think about past experience with things like this, when they happen, it’s usually some combination of the player being open and interested, the team having a high level of belief in the player and having organizational alignment around that.

“I do think some of those ingredients are in place with Konnor. So, that would give me a level of hope potentially. But we don’t have anything more to share right now.”

There’s been plenty of external speculation on this since ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted on April 2 that the Pirates and baseball's No. 1 prospect were working on finalizing a nine-year, $140 million extension.

It makes plenty of sense for something to get done too, from Griffin’s ability and mature makeup to cost certainty and value over time on the Pirates’ end.

In the interim, as Cherington and the Pirates remain, there are also on-field matters to discuss with the 19-year-old shortstop.

Cherington said the Pirates brought Griffin up when they did because he was going to make the team better. And also because they’d rather navigate any potential rough patches now, before the meat of the baseball season.

It’s hard to argue with that logic, especially considering what lacked at shortstop before Griffin’s arrival.

Results-wise, Griffin crushed a double in his first Major League plate appearance, and entered Tuesday's game in an 0-for-12 funk, with just one ball leaving the infield.

The Pirates aren’t about to panic. They believe in Griffin’s intangibles, Plus, 13 career at-bats represents a laughably small sample size.

One pleasant surprise has actually been Griffin’s defense. There’s been zero question about his ability to play shortstop at this level.

“He can impact the game in different ways,” Cherington said. “Feel confident saying he’s made the team better since he’s been here.”

Griffin certainly wasn’t the only topic Cherington addressed. Here are a few others:

Growing with 'Tri' down

Jared Triolo will be out for weeks, not days, with a right patellar tendon injury he suffered running the bases during the home opener. Griffin will obviously play shortstop.

The injury will afford more opportunity to Nick Gonzales and Nick Yorke at third base. Cherington said he’s intrigued and wants to see what each can do.

Entering Tuesday’s game, Gonzales was hitting .303 -- third behind Ryan O’Hearn and Oneil Cruz -- and Yorke was at .286, highlighted by his walk-off double Saturday against the Orioles.

“Obviously we didn't want Tri to go down,” Cherington said. “But in my first conversation with [Pirates manager] Donnie [Kelly] about it, you could almost sense a sense of excitement from him and the staff at the opportunity to learn more about those guys and create some opportunity there. We believe they'll take advantage of that.”

‘See that smile’

Cruz has seemingly shaken a rough opening series -- and Cherington can tell. Only three MLB hitters had more homers than Cruz (four) entering Tuesday, while only nine had more RBIs (10).

Cherington thought Cruz entered the offseason with “an edge, a motivation about him that we could feel” and that the winter work carried into Spring Training. That has led to some of the improvement we’re seeing, especially against left-handed pitching.

“When he's locked in on both sides of the ball, he's such a difference-maker for our team,” Cherington said. “He can take over a game, and we've seen him do that a couple times. It's nice to see that smile back on his face."

Jones tracking well

Another bit of good news from Cherington’s session: Jared Jones threw two innings of live batting practice Monday in Bradenton, Fla., and he remains on track for an early June return.

“Went well,” Cherington said. “Velocity is there. He threw all of his pitches. He’s feeling good. He’s getting closer to that real game activity. Then it’s just a matter of getting hitters out, the routine part of it.”

Cherington said nothing has been determined when it comes to whether Jones will return as a starter or a reliever. However, he did establish some parameters that might suggest the former.

“He’s going to be on a very structured, scheduled program,” Cherington said. “He’s someone who’s really important to us as a starter long-term. He’s going to know when he’s pitching. We will figure out exactly how to make that work when we get closer.”

Confident in Ozuna

Add Cherington to the list of Pirates people who remain confident Marcell Ozuna will shake his current funk. The designated hitter began Tuesday’s game hitting just .065 in 31 at-bats through eight games.

Cherington said little has changed with Ozuna’s approach, specifically with bat speed, chase and whiff rates -- evidence that’s readily available at Baseball Savant.

Ozuna simply hasn’t hit balls as hard (exit velocity is 85.1 mph compared to 91.1 career) or in the right locations; Ozuna’s .087 BABIP is last among 199 qualified MLB hitters.

“He’s had rough starts before,” Cherington said. “There’s nothing we’re seeing that gives us concern that he’s not gonna come out of this. I just think we need to give it more time.”

‘Keep that going’

This has been a strong start for the Pirates, but Cherington isn’t about to make it any more than that. Everyone needs to keep doing the work and not get distracted by external factors, Cherington said.

“To keep that [momentum] going we've got to stay focused on what this team has been focused on, which is what are we doing today to get ready for tonight's game,” Cherington said. “Then what do we learn from that and (take it) into the next day and just stay present.

“If we can continue to do that every day, we’ll see results over time.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.