The Pittsburgh Pirates Won’t Be Competitive Until They Are Sold
There’s no way around it: the Pittsburgh Pirates are an utter disaster. At 23-40, the Buccos have one of the worst records in baseball. It’s hard to blame the players when the ownership has shown zero desire to be remotely competitive. While researching another article earlier this week, I came across this blurb on the Pirates:
Pittsburgh Pirates Expected To Be Among Most Active Sellers:
No team is more committed to rebuilding than the Pittsburgh Pirates. Improvements have been made to the farm system since Ben Cherington took over, but there’s a lot of work to be done. Fortunately, for a club with one of the worst records in baseball, there is plenty of talent to move.
Adam Frazier, arguably the Pirates’ best player, is drawing interest from across the league. While he doesn’t have the pedigree of Trevor Story, Frazier is on an affordable contract through the 2022 season and carries a .332/.394/.472 slash line. Better yet, whether a contender needs a corner outfielder or second baseman, Frazier plays both.
Pittsburgh could also make closer Richard Rodriguez and outfielder Bryan Reynolds available. Rodriguez, 31, is arbitration-eligible through 2023 and owns a 1.85 ERA in 24.1 innings. Reynolds, who won’t be a free agent until 2026, can play all three outfield spots and owns a combined .281/.359/.469 slash line over the last three seasons.
Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut
The Only Thing Left for the Pirates to Sell Is the Franchise
I’m sorry, what? The Pirates are going to be active sellers? Selling what? Every time Pittsburgh gets a remotely talented player, they’re shipped off somewhere else. Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, Joe Musgrove, Andrew McCutchen, Austin Meadows, Starling Marte, and the list goes on. Baseball is not basketball. You can’t just draft one or two good players and suddenly be a contending team. Baseball is a game of developing and accumulating talent. The Pirates management has been allergic to keeping talented players on their roster for a long time now. This extends to free agency where they refuse to spend any money to improve the team. It’s not even an Oakland A’s “moneyball” strategy. It’s just a shrug of the shoulders and a middle finger to the fanbase.
The only “active selling” that needs to happen is Bob Nutting selling this team to someone who actually cares. Nothing is going to improve until the ownership changes.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are Hostages
The Pirates are being held hostage by Bob Nutting, and that’s a real shame. Pittsburgh is an awesome city with a passionate fanbase and a beautiful baseball stadium. They deserve way better than this.
This is a cause I want to throw my support behind. I’m currently working on designing shirts to promote the sale of the team. Details coming soon.
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