BRADENTON, Fla. -- On Wednesday morning, Pirates team president Travis Williams met with the traveling media, including DK Pittsburgh Sports, at LECOM Park to discuss welcoming fans back into the stands, the team’s finances, the next collective bargaining agreement, the future of PNC Park and the direction the club is heading in.
Here is what he had to say:
ON PAYROLL
Williams would not go into details of if the Pirates lost money in 2020, but said it did not impact the club’s long-terms plans.
"The pandemic had a significant impact on everybody,” Williams said. “I think not just this industry and our club, but across the country and all businesses and all industries. So I'm not going to get into the details and specifics of exactly how that impacted us. Suffices to say, it was a significant impact, but it did not impact or change that we have a clear direction in baseball, we have a clear direction on the business side and we are doing everything we can to continue to move forward with that plan and execute that plan in order to bring a championship-caliber team to Pittsburgh."
In October, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told Ronald Blum of the Associated Press that the league lost between $2.7-$3 billion in cash losses last year. Players association president Tony Clark said shortly after that the union did not accept Manfred’s claims at face value. Regardless of the actual number, 40% of the league’s revenue comes from the gate, so not having fans in the stands was a significant loss last year.
Williams said that despite the impact the pandemic had on the team’s finances, that it did not influence a cut in major league payroll, though there was one this winter.
Depending on how many players the Pirates decide to add to the roster who signed non-guaranteed deals this winter, the opening day payroll is projected to be between $40-$45 million. Going by Spotrac’s projections at the moment, their opening day salary is the second-lowest in the game, just above the Indians.
Before the pandemic shortened the season to 60-games last year, the Pirates were projected to have an opening day payroll of $54.3 million.
The drop this year was can mostly be tracked to a handful of moves. The Pirates did not exercise a club option on Chris Archer, and then traded Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon. In the trades, the Pirates brought back prospects and young players, replenishing a farm system that is on the rise and is projected to be one of the best in baseball soon.
“I, personally, am excited in terms of what we're seeing in the turnover of our top 30 prospect list,” Williams said. “I think things like that are things that get me excited as a fan, beyond my role.”
While major league salary is the area that draws the most attention, and in the Pirates case, scrutiny, Williams pointed out that it’s not always as cut and dry as that.
“Player payroll is one component of many as it relates that you're making sure that building towards a championship-caliber team,” Williams said. “There's many ways in which we can spend. We're spending in areas that are really important based on where we are in the cycle of building towards that championship-caliber team.”
One of the areas the Pirates did invest in this year was in their Dominican Academy, with Williams saying the franchise was able to “double” the size and the number of players and coaches it can now host, as well as making improvements to the performance and training areas, nutrition and housing. Williams sees the league shifting towards focusing more on the Dominican, and he wants the Pirates to be able to be at the forefront in that area of player development and acquisition.
For a team in the early stages of a rebuild, investing more in prospects and facilities seems sound. However, at some point, the Pirates will have to invest more into the major league payroll in order to be competitive.
Williams is confident that will happen, when the time is right.
“We're confident that, in the right moment, we will have the resources available to us in order to be able to get us to a point where we have a championship-caliber team on the field."
ON FANS RETURNING TO PNC PARK
On Monday, the state loosened restrictions on mass gatherings, allowing the Pirates to welcome fans back into PNC Park this season.
Williams estimates about 7,500-8,000 tickets should be available a game to start.
"We’re super excited once again to be able to host fans at PNC Park," Williams said. "That was a big missing piece last year. We believe it’s going to be a summer-long celebration of being able to bring fans together with their family and friends around the traditions of Pirates baseball. What better way to get together, especially when you’re coming out of a pandemic. It’s going to be an opening day like no other."
The team will be unveiling fan enhancements to the ballpark experience this year as well. Some of it is COVID-19 influenced, like installing more cashless and touchless payment systems throughout the stadium, widening concourses and moving more towards digital ticketing. Others were planned for last year, like improved seating in the stands.
"There’s a whole host of things we’ve done, most of which we’ll be rolling out to our fan base, and we’ll see it in more detail over the coming weeks as we get ready to host them back at the ballpark," Williams said. "But all of that has been with the fans’ health and safety in mind and making sure that they feel comfortable coming back in the ballpark."
ON PNC PARK'S NAME
The Pirates and PNC Bank agreed upon a one-year extension on their original 20-year deal for naming rights to the ballpark last year, but that is set to expire after the 2021 season.
However, he did start to beam when the topic was brought up.
"I didn't hold my poker face very well, did I?" he quipped.
There was nothing official to announce Wednesday, but expect something coming soon.
"We were absolutely committed from Day 1 to making sure we try to find a way to keep PNC’s name on the park. We’ve made very good progress in those efforts, and all I’ll say at the end here is that I think you’ll hear something very, very soon that’s positive along those lines."
ON THE NEW CBA
Something else of far more importance is set to expire at the end of the 2021 season, too: The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players.
The main focus is to make sure to complete the 2021 season and to get fans back in the ballpark.
"We’re doing everything we need to do as an organization to make sure that the best interests of Pittsburgh are top of mind in the league as they sit down with the union and have those negotiations and discussions," Williams said. "I can tell you there is no bigger or better advocate for markets like Pittsburgh than Bob Nutting. He has been working behind the scenes with the Commissioner and with the labor policy committee to make sure that they understand all of the things that will be critically important to us in those negotiations in order to make sure that there is better competitive balance within the game of baseball.
"That’s what the fans of Pittsburgh deserve. The fans deserve competitive balance to be able to have an opportunity to compete for championships on a regular basis, and that’s our principal goal."
Williams did not want to get into the details of those conversations, or if it could include a salary cap or floor, opting to instead say there are multiple ways to help achieve more competitive balance, and the Pirates are in favor of any avenue "that allow us to compete for championships on a regular basis."
ON THE DIRECTION OF THE TEAM, AND WHY FANS SHOULD CARE
While there is a lot to be excited for this season, the on-the-field product is not expected to be one. The Pirates had the worst record in baseball last year, and could very well repeat.
The goal for this year is to continue to build through the minors and rely on player development to produce the next core of a competitive team.
"I think Ben [Cherington] has a really good job of making sure that all of our fans understand what our direction is on the field and within baseball operations and what we're trying to accomplish. Having that clear direction that everybody understands," Williams said.
Williams says that he is ultimately responsible for the organizational philosophy and approach. In his introduction to the team in October 2019, he talked about how the Pirates needed to "crack the code" in order to return to the playoffs.
He thinks they're on the right track.
"Again, I think it all starts and goes back to, with all of us, Bob, Ben, myself, all of us, just having that open, honest, transparent conversation, communication with our fans and our partners, and making sure they understand where we're headed, why we're doing what we're doing, and make sure that we're setting and managing expectations along the way. At the end of the day, we all hope they go on this journey with us. It's gonna be an exciting one."
