Pirates: Latest report makes Bob Nutting look even cheaper

Pittsburgh Pirates fans probably aren’t going to be thrilled with Bob Nutting after a recent report indicated how the team’s payroll is apparently covered.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans probably think their favorite team is pretty cheap. But, well, they might be surprised of just how cheap the Pirates actually are. One recent report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette makes Bob Nutting look extraordinarily and almost absurdly frugal.

According to Mark Belko’s report, the Pirates‘ payroll has, on multiple occasions since 2007, been “covered by ticket and concession revenues.” That doesn’t account for money that comes in from broadcast deals and MLB.

This feels like an extreme case of Moneyball from the Pirates. Just, you know, without the winning.

From the MLB franchise perspective, it’s not necessarily a bad idea for small market teams to try and keep salaries within a reasonable range so that they can continue to succeed for several years, despite budget limitations. Teams like the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are often looked at as great examples of finding ways to cut costs and yet still get plenty of success and notoriety.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Recent report makes Bob Nutting look really, really cheap

But unlike the Athletics and Rays, the Pirates aren’t even remotely all that successful! They’re not winning at a high level at all. All the Pirates are doing is pinching pennies without finding a way to win. The Pirates finished 2021 fifth in the NL Central with a 61-101 record. Pittsburgh hasn’t made the postseason since 2015.

This whole situation seems to go beyond reasonable frugality and small market budget struggles. This feels borderline absurd. Pittsburgh deserves to have a team that wins. The Pirates should probably start investing in their roster and finding more ways to win.