Sources: Pirates’ Payroll Unlikely to Rise in ’26 Despite Heat From MLB
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said last week that the money the team saved at the MLB trade deadline would be “reallocated.”
It appears that money will not be “reallocated” into a larger budget in 2026. Two sources briefed on the situation told Pittsburgh Baseball Now that owner Bob Nutting will likely give Cherington the same player payroll as this season or perhaps a bit lower.
One source said something would have to “drastically change” for the payroll to increase.
That something could be pressure for Major League Baseball’s central office. Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly concerned about the Pirates’ franchise, which is on track to reach its 29th consecutive losing season in 33 years.
Manfred dispatched Morgan Sword, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations, to Pittsburgh in 2023 to meet with Nutting. Sword expressed the league’s dissatisfaction with the Pirates’ lack of spending, particularly given their receipt of revenue-sharing money.
However, little has changed since Sword’s visit.
The Pirates’ payroll at the end of the 2024 season was $87.3 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That ranked 29th among the 30 MLB teams.
The payroll was $85.5 million at the start of this season, which was 26th in MLB.
The Pirates saved money last week when they traded Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds, who assumed the $36 million remaining on the final four years of the third baseman’s contract from 2025-28.
So, why haven’t the Pirates taken MLB’s request seriously? Sources say the Pirates claim their revenues have gotten smaller because of their television contract with SportsNet Pittsburgh and declining attendance.
Cherington has never complained publicly about the lack of payroll space he receives from Nutting. He even went as far as to say money is not a factor in trades last Sunday during his weekly radio show.
The validity of that statement is questionable considering the Pirates’ frugal actions over the years.
Baseball sources say Nutting told Cherington he would have yearly payrolls of at least $100 million or slightly more when he took the GM job in November 2019. However, that hasn’t happened, and it appears Cherington won’t be getting any more money to work with next season.
There is speculation that Cherington could be fired at the end of this season. The Pirates are in last place in the National League Central with a 49-65 record and are 343-479 since Cherington became GM.
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