OT: Pirates Talk: Lets Play Ball

Zirakzigil

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Jul 5, 2010
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Not that this game matters, but this is a very entertaining spring training game.

Down 4-0 to start, but now up 5-4 with a 5th inning rally. A bunch of walks and singles without getting an out.

Their lineup today looks very similar to what it could be to start the year with Horwitz out. Hayes is also dealing with some back issues again, but he’s supposed to be back this weekend.



Nice, but it's off some schlub that doesn't even have a number on his jersey.
 
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Yeah Bednar looks like he’s absolutely spent at this point. Not only do they need to have him on a super short leash as a closer, but I’m pulling the plug on him as a MLBer really damn fast if things aren’t looking good to start the year.
 
David Bednar's fastball actually sucks. Somehow he had some intimidation mojo with it prior but on its own merits it is a super hittable pitch
 
David Bednar's fastball actually sucks. Somehow he had some intimidation mojo with it prior but on its own merits it is a super hittable pitch
Legit, people throwing Jones around as a closer are on to something. If we need a high speed thrower in that spot.

Bednar was doing okay, but then yeah. Gotta hope he was "working on some different stuff" here in these games where he was lit up m
 


Saw elsewhere that he's getting a second opinion, which basically means the worst.

This is the catastrophic type of news that this team couldn't afford to have happen due to the lack of investment by Bob Nutting and the lack of any substantial improvement by Ben Cherington, up to and including the trading of SP depth for not much. I don't think it's that much of an overreaction to declare the 2025 season officially over if Jones is getting TJ.

Maybe Harrington or Chandler can step up to the plate, but this is basically a gut shot to the one part of the team that might have been above average.
 
I was told that his arm action and velocity relative to his frame was a non-concern. Huh, well...not happy to say "I told ya so"
 
How many 2nd opinions end up as rehab v surgery? Even 2nd opinions regarding getting TJ or not, the only one that I could think of that didn't end up as a TJ was Ohtani.
 
Yeah I'm not saying this as in it's no big deal, because it's objectively awful, but that is just the risk you run with SPs at this point. You basically have to assume that at least 1 of your pitchers is going to undergo TJS in any season at this point. Jones' frame made him a pretty easy to predict candidate for it, but it still sucks nonetheless.

This hurts because he'll be out for all of this year and I bet a lot of 2026 too. Their SP depth is still pretty solid, so it's not a death blow, but any ability for them to trade from their SP pool just vanished with this Jones injury. They really need Burrows, Chandler and such to pan out now.
 


Never sure how accurate an outside attempt actually is because there is always some level of estimation. But this is roughly what ive been saying for years.
 


Never sure how accurate an outside attempt actually is because there is always some level of estimation. But this is roughly what ive been saying for years.
youve been saying for years the pirates lost money and accrued debt in 2024?
 
Negative 2mil on an estimated expense and estimated income, is a rounding error.

Businesses taking out loans is standard.

And honestly, stadium profit being down could be turned around. But they would rather lose $15+mil there, then buy a player for that amount and "break even."

So moral of the story, nutting still doesn't care and the fans not going to games is how you can show him you know he's full of shit. He can make more money by spending more money. Or stay status quo and slowly drown by "2 mil" a year.
 
youve been saying for years the pirates lost money and accrued debt in 2024?

Not the debt part, but ive veen pretty steadfast that the Forbes estimates have been highly inflated.

If you would have made me guess, i would have assumed a marginal year to year operating surplus in the 5-10 million range. With a bit off the top for depreciation and taxes. Last i knew they were debt free.
 
Negative 2mil on an estimated expense and estimated income, is a rounding error.

Businesses taking out loans is standard.

And honestly, stadium profit being down could be turned around. But they would rather lose $15+mil there, then buy a player for that amount and "break even."

So moral of the story, nutting still doesn't care and the fans not going to games is how you can show him you know he's full of shit. He can make more money by spending more money. Or stay status quo and slowly drown by "2 mil" a year.
Yeah the risk averseness is still an issue. I understand it from a business perspective but in this market you have to take some risks to ever get out of the cycle of perpetual medocrity.
 
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I think it's a hell of a lot more likely that DK's numbers are just wrong and he's not including additional revenue sources than the Pirates somehow lost money while spending like $80 million on a team last year.

"All other costs, including administration, staff, travel, development, draft, international, stadium ops, analytics and way more: $171.7 million"

He just says this without providing any sort of numbers for where this is coming from.
 
I think it's a hell of a lot more likely that DK's numbers are just wrong and he's not including additional revenue sources than the Pirates somehow lost money while spending like $80 million on a team last year.

1. Literally we did this last year (me and i believe you) with some back of napkin math and came to the same conclusion.

2. Confirmed by the team

3. Businesses that are debt free, dont take on debt for shits and giggles.

4. What secret local revenue source do you imagine making a material difference?

Thats a hell of a claim both against the Pirates and the reporting. Occams razor is you just dont want to believe it.
 
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"Confirmed by the team" where, exactly? Because all I see is DK arbitrarily saying "all other costs, including administration, staff, travel, development, draft, international, stadium ops, analytics and way more: $171.7 million" without providing where that money is coming from.
 
Also this whole "Nutting isn't making much money because they were at a -$2 million budget last year" falls flat when you realize that the appreciation of the franchise far outweighs any sort of losses that this team could be having. The Pirates are worth $1.32 billion and Nutting purchased them for $92 million in 1996.
 
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