BRADENTON, Fla. — Prior to the Pirates' first full-squad workout each spring, the club's controlling owner, Bob Nutting, typically offers words of encouragement to players during a team meeting at Pirate City.
It appears that message did not change during his address Monday, despite two prominent veterans recently voicing displeasure with the Pirates' commitment to winning. Although Nutting did not speak to reporters following the workout, Neal Huntington said Nutting's message was that ownership is still intent on winning the World Series.
"Better question for him, and Bob's message for the team was — in my hearing — similar to the message he's given in the past," Huntington said. "We're here to win, we're here to bring a World Series championship number six back to Pittsburgh, we're here to help these guys be great. We're here to provide them with resources and help them do their jobs to the very best of their ability, and we're all in this thing together with one thing, one goal."
Although Nutting's comments weren't available verbatim, the gist of his statement runs contradictory to the view of two veterans on the team. Both Josh Harrison and David Freese told reporters last week that the organization — from the top to the bottom — has not shown a commitment to winning the past two seasons.
The Pirates have yet to sign a free agent to a major league contract, opting instead to supplement the roster with minor-league free agents, waiver claims and Rule-5 picks. They shed nearly $20 million in payroll from the start of last season, most recently by trading Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole.
Bob Nutting shakes Starling Marte's hand after a long talk with him Monday. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPSAfter McCutchen was traded, Harrison released a statement expressing his desire to be traded if the Pirates did not intend to win in 2018. He reaffirmed his frustrations with the franchise when he reported to Pirate City for spring training on Sunday, saying, "[Huntington] talked to me, said he wants to win, this or that. At the end of the day, it’s about action, not speaking.”
Huntington was noncommittal when asked if the Pirates will keep Harrison this season. The 30-year-old second baseman is one of the club's highest-paid players at $10.25 million, and he was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason.
Although Huntington continues to say the Pirates do intend to win in 2018, trading Harrison would significantly impact the club's chances to compete. After all, they'd likely have to turn to either Max Moroff or Sean Rodriguez as the starting second baseman.
Adam Frazier is currently the favorite to start in left field since the club's only offseason acquisition was veteran Daniel Nava, who is best suited for a role off the bench.
Freese, though, also criticized the players' desire to win, saying, "The demand to win just hasn't been in the air." But he also called out ownership and the front office. He said it “boggles my mind” that the organization did not surround McCutchen with more talent to try to accomplish more during his time in Pittsburgh.
Freese, entering his 10th major league season, said although the front office intends to win that it often gets ahead of itself with the focus on analytics, neglecting basic components of winning such as accountability and urgency.
“You look at a guy like Cutch, I think he deserved better just in the sense that he’s a guy that took this organization from the ground to the spotlight,” Freese added. “He did it. Nobody else. He was the centerpiece, and you just hope that all the people in Pittsburgh, all the fans, you wish it could have ended better for him. Surrounding him with a group that wanted to beat some ass for him. That guy, he’s obviously going to be a hero for the city of Pittsburgh forever. But man, it could have been so much more.”
Nutting watched most of the workout Monday morning, chatting with a number of players, including Josh Bell and Starling Marte. But he isn't expected to speak to reporters until later this week. Pirates president Frank Coonelly was also in attendance at the workout, but he too was not available to speak to reporters.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates spring training, Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 19, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS