John Russell Will Be Back in Pittsburgh Next Season

With the Pittsburgh Pirates in the midst of their 17th consecutive losing season, a lot of Pirates players have been walking the plank and being shipped to other teams around the majors. Still, even with all the roster upheaval in Pittsburgh it seems there will be at least one person left who will be returning to the Bucs next season.

While in Chicago on Sunday during a rain delay -- the game was eventually postponed -- team president Frank Coonelly talked about the future of current manager John Russell and said that he would be back manning the ship in 2010.

Coonelly did not elaborate, given that the extension the team and Russell signed this past spring already took him through next season.

Russell, 48, has a 113-165 record in his two seasons and is headed toward a second last-place finish at 46-70. But his roster has seen more upheaval than any in Major League Baseball, including the trades of former All-Stars Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez, among many other experienced players.

It is hard to pin the blame for what's looking like another last-place finish on Russell considering that he's basically had his arms and legs chopped off each of the last two season, but as for what his future will be after next season, that seems to be up in the air.

Russell's contract runs through 2010 as does general manager Neal Huntington's so if the Pirates decide to get rid of Huntington, odds are Russell will be going with him.

If any changes are coming next season they'll likely be within Russell's coaching staff, all of whom are working on one-year deals. The Pirates say they'll make decisions on those coaches no later than October 10.