The Pirates began this offseason less than a month ago knowing they would have to replace Clint Hurdle and hire a manager, a move not exactly light on significance.
As the Pirates dug deeper into how they’ve performed both on and off the field lately, it became clear that at least one more significant change was needed.
On Wednesday, the Pirates announced they and (now former) president Frank Coonelly have mutually agreed to part ways. Former Penguins chief operating officer Travis Williams reportedly has been selected to succeed Coonelly and is expected to be introduced at a news conference Monday.
According to sources, owner Bob Nutting and Coonelly informed the entire Pirates staff of the news on Wednesday morning, at which point Coonelly grew emotional while talking about the change.
Coonelly, 59, had been with the club since Sept. 13, 2007. He has done a variety of things with the Pirates, including having a substantial say in baseball operations.
On a few different occasions this past season, Coonelly promised the Pirates would get this right, that they would turn four seasons of malaise and mismanagement around and better resemble the outfit that made the playoffs three consecutive years from 2013-15.
Apparently, that included pointing the finger inward, too.
“The second half of our season was disappointing to our fans and to all of us in the organization,“ Coonelly said in a statement issued by the team. “Results matter and our results simply were not acceptable. It was clear that change was necessary.
“As we worked through a comprehensive assessment of everything that we do, I undertook an honest self-evaluation. While not an easy conclusion to reach, I ultimately decided that the best interests of the Pirates would be served if the club had a new leader who would bring new ideas and a new direction.”
Williams is expected to be that new leader, and general manager Neal Huntington is expected to remain in place as general manager.
According to people close to the situation, the belief there is that it’s too difficult to make three significant hires in such quick succession — that and the potential for flat-out disaster if it all goes poorly.
The move certainly puts Huntington on the clock, as his contract runs out after the 2021 season, although one source said that Huntington has appeared “re-energized” by the offseason moves thus far.
In another statement issued by the club, Nutting praised Coonelly but also cited the need for a change in the day-to-day operations of the Pirates. And not just tickets sold or market penetration — all areas.
“I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for Frank,” Nutting said in the statement. “I will forever be grateful for his tireless work ethic on behalf of the organization, as well as his and his family’s commitment to making a positive impact in our community. Frank and I both agreed that it was clear a change in the day-to-day leadership of the club is needed.
“This leadership transition gives us the opportunity to refresh our entire operations. Internally, the organization is energized as we prepare to introduce our new president on Monday, while we continue to work to identify a new field manager and build our coaching staff.”
Before coming to the Pirates, Coonelly, 59, served as senior vice president and general counsel of labor in the MLB commissioner’s office, where he negotiated and administered collective bargaining agreements with the Major League Baseball Players Association and the World Umpires Association.
Prior to joining the commissioner’s office in 1998, Coonelly practiced labor and employment law in Washington, D.C. In that role, Coonelly assisted in a variety of baseball matters, including salary arbitration.
The first order of business for Williams will be the ongoing managerial search, one that has moved into a second round of interviews.
Among those interviewing the first time were Jeff Banister, Derek Shelton, Mark Kotsay, Ryan Christenson and Stubby Clapp, along with a few others.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: October 23, 2019, 2:18 p.m.
