MONTREAL — Ben Cherington has been an easy and understandable target for criticism due to the Pittsburgh Pirates topping out at 76 wins since he took over in 2019.

There have been trades that haven't worked out, too few position player prospects developed and a checkered history in free agency.

But there's really no other way to slice this one: The general manager has had an excellent offseason thus far.

The latest was a trade for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery, three players who will absolutely help the Pirates in 2025.

Lowe is the headliner, an All-Star who hit 31 home runs and had 83 RBIs last season. Mangum is a speedy center fielder who improves Pittsburgh's outfield depth. Montgomery's a lefty reliever who routinely hits 100 mph and could blossom into something special with some help from new pitching coach Bill Murphy.

The Pirates gave up one pitcher — Mike Burrows — who may or may not have been in their opening day rotation to do it. Controllable pitching is a valuable commodity, but Cherington got what he needed and then some without giving an arm and leg.

Hard to dislike that.

It's been that way for much of the offseason, too, whether that was signing veteran lefty reliever Gregory Soto at the winter meetings or trading Johan Oviedo for Jhostynxon Garcia on Dec. 4. A succession of moves that make sense.

Regardless of what you think of Cherington's work to this point — he's certainly not unaware of the Pirates' shortcomings during his tenure — those are objectively three very good moves, and Cherington deserves credit for them.

Entering his seventh season in charge, Cherington appears to be operating differently, and so do the Pirates: prioritizing the present over the future by obtaining quality major league players who'll absolutely help the team improve in 2025.

That's refreshing from a baseball perspective. It's certainly not a deal where you wonder what the goals are, have to dig deep on return or question how much the Pirates gave up to get it.

Consider, Lowe has a career OPS of .807, hit 39 homers in 2021 and has left-handed power in a ballpark where that's often accentuated. The Pirates have lacked that player and now have one for $11.5 million. The contract risk is minimal, and they could/should try to extend Lowe if things go well.

Mangum stole 27 bases and can play all three outfield positions well. Not huge power but high-average. Comes with the reputation of being a very good teammate.

Montgomery has struck out 80 batters over 55 2/3 innings. His four-seamer-slider combination has characteristics the Pirates have typically been able to improve among starters and relievers. Murphy, who used to work in Houston, is also very smart. Montgomery is the type of pitcher to take a chance on when you have someone in place to solve the riddle.

Most important, though, has been big-picture. People finally seem to be thinking about the Pirates differently due to what Cherington has done.

Questions about their seriousness and spending still exist, mind you. They probably always will. But we can start to see a blueprint. It also continues the momentum of their offseason and should change how other potential free agents think of them.

For while offers to Josh Naylor and Kyle Schwarber were nice to see, Pittsburgh never stood a chance of landing either one. The Pirates' perception still preceded them.

By adding Garcia, Soto, Lowe, Mangum and Montgomery, the hope should be that the Pirates are becoming a more palatable place to play for those with a choice, a team with an elite starting rotation and now with several key pieces surrounding those talented young arms.

The Pirates also can't be done — and they're not.

They need at least one more bat. They seemingly have both the money and willingness to acquire said player. And if you're Eugenio Suarez or any other free agent hitter considering the Pirates, don't you at least have to give them a second look based on what Cherington had done?

That's why I thought Friday's trade really mattered.

It created an actual trend line with offseason moves while backing up whispers that we heard in Orlando about the Pirates' intent on operating differently, showing some urgency.

Well, they did, and in a better and more efficient way than many of us could've ever imagined.

They obtained players who already professed a desire to play in Pittsburgh, who bring elements to the team that the Pirates have lacked and will continue to build out a foundation they can eventually capitalize on with a larger move.

Next moves could include Suarez, trading for Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox or signing Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto.

If one of those four things actually happens, then I think you're really going to see fan sentiment change around the Pirates.

Cherington is right in the middle of it all, too. Who would have thought?

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