While date, time and location have not yet been determined, the general expectation around the Pirates is that owner Bob Nutting will talk at some point not long after the conclusion of the 2022 regular season.
When it happens, it will mark Nutting’s first availability involving multiple outlets since the Pirates hired Travis Williams as president in October 2019, and it undoubtedly arrives at an important time — with the franchise likely coming off a second consecutive 100-loss season and the natives having grown restless.
There will be plenty to discuss during this session with Nutting. So, I thought I would use this week’s 10 Thoughts to ... well, gather some thoughts on how this conversation with the Pirates owner may go.
We’re also going to be rational here. Fans think covering the Pirates means arriving at 115 Federal St. with an axe and pitchfork and looking to take prisoners, but, yeah, that’s not exactly how this works.
1. We’ve heard general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton talk about progress they feel like the Pirates have made over the past two-plus seasons. It will be interesting to get Nutting’s take on this.
Surely all involved want to see progress, but attendance has dropped since the last time we talked to Nutting, and they’ve endured the worst stretch of losing since the 1950s. Feels like a Jim Mora moment. Progress? What progress?
(Spoiler: The answer will likely include a lot about an improved minor league system, plus changes in player development and how the Pirates acquire players. Not wrong, but paying customers also deserve answers relative to the MLB product.)
2. If it’s not covered beforehand, what about shakeups in significant spots? People like Williams, Cherington and Shelton, assuming we learn of the statuses of pitching coach Oscar Marin and hitting coach Andy Haines — I expect both back.
And, of course, why?
The rational side of my brain understands that the Pirates are in the middle of a full-scale rebuild, and those take time. Pulling the plug on those in charge midway through really isn’t fair and also delays results.
At the same time, you’re returning the most important decision makers following one of the worst stretches in franchise history. An explanation for why this is happening isn’t an unreasonable ask.
3. This will also mark the first time we’re able to ask Nutting about the most recent collective bargaining agreement. Doubtful anyone here requires a reminder that Nutting voted in favor of an agreement that basically does nothing to benefit the Pirates.
My belief is that he did so because a “no” vote would have been futile, changing it to 29-1, and Nutting thought more could be accomplished through back channels. (For the record, I still would have voted no, simply to make a statement.)
But what have those conversations involved? Has anything been done to this point? What’s the desired result? Probably useless to ask what Nutting sees in the CBA that helps the Pirates. We know the truth there.
4. Digging through old interviews from after the hiring of Williams and what those guys said, I thought it would be interesting to circle back on some quotes from that time.
“There are other marketplaces, other teams in other marketplaces like Pittsburgh, that are able to do it successfully on a sustained basis,” Williams told the Post-Gazette. “We will look at them, we will model ourselves after them, the good parts of what they were doing, whether that be through drafting, development — not only development through the system but at the major league level, as well.”
My question: Three seasons into this thing — granted one of them was certainly different and a drag from the business side — but what are some of the markets the Pirates are modeling themselves after at this point? And, no, I don’t expect a concrete answer, unfortunately.
Another quote from that session when I asked Nutting, as plainly as possible, why he didn’t spend more on the Pirates. His answer:
“I really believe that the fundamental narrative about the economics of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the economics of baseball have been misunderstood,” Nutting said. “The narrative is not accurate. We need to do a better job of explaining and telling the story of the uneven playing field in Major League Baseball.”
Whenever Nutting does talk, seems that would be an appropriate time to tell that story, no?
5. I’d also like to know what happened to the out-of-town scoreboard and if there are plans to actually have one again. Might seem silly to some. Not baseball fans. It’s a part of going to the ballpark that was callously discarded in the name of advertising.
With as much emphasis as the Pirates place on PNC Park and aesthetics there, I don’t know how anyone looks at the Clemente Wall and thinks it’s fan-friendly to turn the thing into a billboard.
6. This might be one of the most important offseasons for the franchise in recent memory. Fans are sick of losing and waiver claims and want to see respectable baseball again, but the Pirates also need to supplement young talent with steadier veterans.
Are there plans to do that? Will payroll increase?
Secondarily, we saw them extend Ke’Bryan Hayes and fix the arbitration mess with Bryan Reynolds. Terrific. Any more such plans in the works relative to Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Roansy Contreras or David Bednar?
Should also reference Nutting’s quote from April: “I think this is a point where we need to say we’re focused on the major league club. We’re going to start building here in Pittsburgh.”
So, how will that look?
7. It’s a funny premise, but it’s not a funny topic. The picture Nutting took with 18-year-old Colin Witte, who was wearing a “Sell The Team” T-shirt. Would love to hear Nutting’s side of that, though I doubt we’ll get it.
More than that, I’d like to once again hear Nutting address his plans on ownership moving forward. When I spoke to him one-on-one during spring training last year, he talked about stewardship and essentially playing the long game.
Does he still feel that way? And does he foresee a scenario where anything could change his mind?
8. Moving on ...
In a quiet clubhouse after Friday’s loss, Wil Crowe and Duane Underwood Jr. sat and chatted about the need to push forward and finish the season strong, with Crowe essentially saying he had nowhere else to turn to figure out why he’s been struggling down the stretch.
“It’s the first time I’ve done this,” Crowe said. “I’m trying to figure it out, as well. ... Duane’s our one guy who’s got innings. Like, ‘Hey, what do you do when you get to this point? What have you done?’”
My point isn’t about Crowe struggling or how he might get right. It’s more the unfortunate byproduct of how the Pirates operate. One residual effect is having no place for well-intentioned younger players to turn.
Quick trivia question: Can you name the most tenured member of the Pirates bullpen in terms of innings? I couldn’t. Had to look it up. It’s Robert Stephenson at 309. Yes, Robert Stephenson. No one else has more than 200 career innings. The group averages 154 2/3.
9. Certainly nothing that would trump the ongoing consternation involving Matt Canada, the quarterback situation or the awful run defense, but among Steelers frustrations, I’m surprised Najee Harris’ slow start isn’t getting more run.
Through three games, Harris has carried 40 times for 128 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.2 yards per career with a long of 11 yards. The offensive line isn’t great, I get it. Same time, Jaylen Warren has averaged 4.7 yards per carry.
No, I’m not talking about benching Harris for Warren or something crazy like that. But I do worry Harris is trying to play through a foot issue or is otherwise more tentative than he should be. Previous burst has been missing.
10. If Jamie Devane vs. Ben Harpur on Sunday was the last hockey fight I ever watched, I’m good with it. That struck me as exceedingly stupid and something I know I don’t need to see to be entertained.
Especially on kids day at PPG Paints Arena, I don’t need to see a grown man lying motionless on the ice. Polices nothing in the sport. In about 95% of cases, these guys also can’t play. We’re telling our kids to cheer someone getting knocked out?
The way I see it, we used to smoke on airplanes. We also used to like this sort of stuff. It’s OK to evolve. If someone wants to watch boxing or MMA, great. You know what you’re getting. If I take my kids to a hockey game, I don’t need someone bloodied or unconscious to go home happy.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: September 26, 2022, 2:49 p.m.
Updated: September 26, 2022, 3:05 p.m.