The Pittsburgh Pirates fired Derek Shelton earlier this week. But the team’s issues go far beyond the manager, as ownership’s missteps alienate a frustrated fan base.
SportsNet Pittsburgh may try to mute the “Sell the team” chants, but this isn’t a problem you can just tune out. The Pirates are a problem — they have a perception problem, a Paul Skenes problem. ESPN’s Jeff Passan is on a mission to show Major League Baseball fans why Pittsburgh is not only an aberration to the league but also a glaring example of what happens when ownership fails to engage and a franchise is perpetually mired in mediocrity.
Bob Costas isn’t necessarily on the same crusade, but he recognizes the organization’s deep flaws.
“If you’re the Pittsburgh Pirates and if you’re a long-suffering fan, and you’re right, they have a great baseball history,” Costas told Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show. “They have one of the best ballparks in the major leagues. And they flounder constantly.
“Think about this, though, Dan. There are 10 teams in the two central divisions in the major leagues. Only one of them is in the top half of payrolls. That’s the Cubs at 10th. Next is the Tigers at 17th. Half of the six playoff teams last year in the American League came from the AL Central. The Tigers, the Royals, and the Guardians, and the Twins, who have now had the trap door open on them, but the Twins were barely outside that group — they were alive in that last week.
“Other than the Cubs, in theory, who’s going to outspend the Pirates in the National League Central? One of the things that mitigates the admittedly large payroll gaps is the third Wild Card, whether you like it or not. You can say, ‘Hey, if we can win 85-86 wins, we have a chance to get in the postseason.’ And the history shows even the Dodgers, they lost to the Padres 2-3 years ago; they lost to the Diamondbacks. And they were down 2-1 to the Padres last year before they rallied to win the Division Series. It’s not a guarantee that the best teams and the highest payroll teams make it through to the World Series, if you can just get into the tournament.”
The Phillies, Diamondbacks, and even the Mets, in recent years, have proven the theory that you just need a ticket to the dance. As long as you get your foot in the door, you have a chance. The Pirates have no chance. They last signed a free agent to a multi-year deal (Ivan Nova) when Barack Obama was still in office in November 2016.
“I don’t want to be harsh, but what’s the Pirates’ excuse?” Costas asked. “They play a huge percentage of their games within the National League Central, with other teams that aren’t running away from them, payroll-wise. And you got a second and third Wild Card. You don’t have an excuse to be this bad this consistently for this long.”
In the era of expanded playoffs, there’s really no excuse for the Pirates to stay stuck in the cellar of the NL Central. Other teams with similar payrolls have found ways to compete, but Pittsburgh’s ownership has repeatedly failed to push the right buttons.
It’s n longer about the team on the field or who writes the lineup; it’s become about the leadership that’s more comfortable coasting than actually trying to win.
Costas isn’t the only one pointing out that the Pirates have no excuse for their sustained failure, having last clinched a playoff berth nearly a decade ago. But until something changes up top, the Pirates will keep spinning their wheels, stuck in a never-ending cycle of mediocrity.