The Pittsburgh Pirates 2020 Payroll Is Just $43 Million - It's Time Major League Baseball Steps In To Save This Fanbase
As a New York Yankees fan I often find myself taking their payroll situation for granted when they tip toe the luxury tax number. This had been an issue over the last few years until of course Gerrit Cole became a thing. Still, you'd find people like myself, Tommy, and countless others becoming irate when the Yankees wouldn't over a $200 million threshold to get that top top free agent. You don't realize how good you have it until you look at a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates. The people running this team should be arrested. Bob Nutting should be in jail for what he's put this fanbase through.
Earlier today the Pittsburgh Pirates traded away one time All-Star and two time Gold Glover Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two prospects. By making this deal the Pirates got rid of the $11.5 million he was owed in 2020 and a club option for $12.5 million in 2021. Neither of those numbers are astronomical by any means.
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Now I have no problem trading away a guy you planned on cutting the following season in exchange for two high end prospects. Pitcher Brennan Malone was the 33rd pick last year and Liover Peguero is a 19 year old shortstop who played very well in rookie ball last year. From a strictly baseball stand point you could at least sell me on that, but selling a $43 million payroll to your fanbase is legit sickening. In 2020 Gerrit Cole will make 83% of the Pittsburgh Pirates payroll. That just should not happen. The Pirates payroll in 2006 was $43 million. 2006.... THAT WAS FOURTEEN YEARS AGO!!!! How is Rob Manfred letting this go on?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a fantastic fanbase. Whenever they're in the postseason that stadium is ROCKING. PNC Park is absolutely gorgeous and probably sits in my top 5 favorite stadiums in all of baseball. The fact that the organization can look their fans in the face and be totally okay with this is fucking nonsense.
Major League Baseball should force teams to have to spend at the bare minimum $75 million a year. If you own a baseball team you should have that money. If you don't you shouldn't be allowed to buy one. It's that simple. There's a competitive luxury tax in place to try and prevent teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers from spending too much. There should be the same thing if you don't spend enough. Dock draft picks, fines, whatever it takes to light a fire under these owners to do something.
Ben Cherrington took over as the new GM this offseason so it's hard to pin any of this on him. He's inheriting Neal Huntington's mess. He's the buffoon who traded Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz. A trade that could very well go down as the worst in the sport's history based on the 2019 season Meadows had and the potential Glasnow and Baz bring. But again, Huntington sticking around for 12 seasons is the problem. That comes from up top. Bob Nutting. Bottom-line Bob as he's referred to. This coward is worth $1.1 billion. He can't bother to put a $50 million payroll on the field. Someone take the team away from this guy. Pirates fans deserve better. Fuck you Bob Nutting.