Nutting does not believe fans would have a better perception of him if the Pirates raised their payrollgetty images
Pirates Chair Bob Nutting knows many of the team's fans "do not like him," and he is concerned that negativity is "hurting the perception of the team with the public," according to John Perrotto of DK PITTSBURGH SPORTS. Nutting said, "I am fully committed to this organization and its success and devote all the energy I possibly can to seeing that happen -- if I need to be more effective to communicate that in order to help and support the team, that's on me." Perrotto noted the Pirates' "attendance has dropped each of the last three seasons" at PNC Park. Last season, the team "drew just 1,465,316 -- down nearly a million" from '15 for the club's "worst attendance" since '96. Much of the "anger and apathy from the fans stems from the Pirates' lack of spending." They are "annually in the bottom third of the major leagues in player payroll," which is projected to be the second-lowest in MLB this season at $73M. However, Nutting "did not agree that the fans would have a better perception of him and the team if he opened the wallet a little more." He said, "The spending is a band-aid and a little bit of a distraction. I think we're spending appropriately in order to achieve the goals that we've set out, which is to win a championship." Nutting also said cutting $17M from the $90M payroll at the end of last season was not because of any "financial problems with the franchise" (DKPITTSBURGHSPORTS.com, 2/20).
PHILOSOPHICALLY FRUGAL: In Pittsburgh, Bill Brink noted Nutting outlines the team's "philosophy regarding its allocation of money: The Pirates invest heavily in sustainable endeavors such as the draft, player development, scouting, analytics and the international market to produce a better return on investment." Nutting said the Pirates are using some of the $50M they received from the sale of part of MLBAM to "double the size of their academy in the Dominican Republic." Brink noted this is "believed to be the first time" Nutting "publicly discussed how the team would use that money." The Pirates "still receive revenue sharing, and while their receipts decreased for seven consecutive seasons, the recent decline in attendance and the corresponding decrease in local revenue could lead to larger receipts than in the past" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2/21).
