It is too early to know if the pandemic's impact will necessitate cuts to the Pirates' payrollGetty Images
Pirates President Travis Williams did "not go into specifics when asked if the Pirates lost money this year, like many of teams have, but said the impact was 'significant,'" according to Alex Stumpf of DKPITTSBURGHSPORTS.com. The Pirates have said that it is "too early in the offseason to know if that impact will necessitate cutting the major-league payroll." The Pirates did have "some overturn in their business and baseball operations departments, mainly in June, though most of those moves were expected" as Williams and GM Ben Cherington "made those departments their own after keeping most of the people from the previous regime initially." Those cuts were "not as deep as other teams and Williams said the impact will mostly be felt in the short term." Meanwhile, Williams is confident there will be a season in '21, but he said "we don't know what that means in terms of fans." The Pirates currently are selling season tickets for '21, with Williams saying that they are "hopeful they can still add fans and will 'do everything we can to get them here'" (DKPITTSBURGHSPORTS.com, 11/23).
WILLIAMS CONFIDENT ON PAYROLL: In Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey writes the "biggest question most frequently asked by Pirates fans is a fair one: Will owner Bob Nutting and the team spend more money?" Mackey: "The short answer, judging by Williams’ comments Monday, would be yes." Williams said, “I don’t think Ben Cherington or I come here without knowing that we were going to have a commitment to provide the resources we need to be successful. I think markets like Pittsburgh can be successful. We’re not going to be the Yankees or Red Sox in terms of payroll or resources. ... For us, the most important things are going to be identifying those points of when to (spend), when to (spend) properly and also spending on the right areas" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 11/24).
