Perrotto: How The Baseball World Perceives The Pirates

Attending MLB’s Winter Meetings is always one of the year’s highlights.

It is a chance to renew acquaintances with executives, managers, scouts, agents, and media members throughout baseball and to glean a lot of insider information.

The question I kept getting asked this past week at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas was “What are the Buccos going to do this winter?” That people would inquire about the Pittsburgh Pirates is not a surprise since I have been covering baseball in the market for 37 years.

However, they were surprised when I answered, “Probably not a lot.” That raised more than a few eyebrows.

The Pirates aren’t going to raise the payroll substantially this winter. General manager Ben Cherington admitted that he may not sign any free agent until after the holidays.

Considering the free agent market is moving faster than in recent winters, it appears the Pirates will again be sift through the leftovers before making any moves.

That has led many in the industry to question exactly what the Pirates are doing. Though the Pirates finished 76-86 for a second consecutive season in 2024, many baseball people believe they are close to contending for a postseason berth for the first time since 2015.

The consensus among the dozens of people I spoke with is that even with modest offensive upgrades the Pirates could make a run at the National League Central title because the division has no dominant teams.

The Pirates traded for first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who had a .355 on-base percentage with the Toronto Blue Jays over the past two seasons. Horwitz should help but the Pirates also need a power-hitting right fielder.

Many of those people feel there should be a sense of urgency for the Pirates to make at least one splash move this winter because right-handers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones will likely pitch for the Pirates for three more seasons before both become too expensive in the salary arbitration process and get traded.

That is not a large window of contention, especially for a franchise that hasn’t been to the World Series since 1979 when they beat the Baltimore Orioles. And that is also the Pirates’ last postseason series victory.

General manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton are perceived to be on the hot seat. Of course, no one knows because owner Bob Nutting and club president Travis Williams rarely speak to the media.

However, Cherington and Shelton get sympathy from many in the industry. Many feel they are in a no-win situation, hamstrung by an owner who consistently has a team among the bottom five in payroll.

The consensus, though, is that the biggest losers are the fans. Over and over, I heard how Pittsburgh is a good city with passionate fans who get the short end of the stick.

I mentioned to a few people that there are four billboards in Pittsburgh urging Nutting to sell the team. Each one replied “That’s a good idea.”