Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates have found a corporate partner to put a patch on their jerseys, club president Bob Nutting thinks they could soon get something on their sleeves with the Sheetz logo.
With Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller signed to long-term contracts and rookie right-handers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes pitching at a high level, Nutting said it’s “incredibly important” for the Pirates to take advantage of their window to become contenders. to the playoffs.
The Pirates (36-38) are a half-game out of the race for one of three wild-card spots heading into Friday’s three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays and said general manager Ben Cherington has the green light to Take steps to improve your chances.
“I think we’ve shown that it’s possible,” Nutting said. “If you look at the results we’ve had from the mound, the pitching has been solid. We have some very strong pitchers who are performing well. We need more offense. We are an underperforming team in offensive production. You know all that as much as I do. We are fully aware of this.
“We know the areas where we need to improve. Part of that has to come from the organic improvement of our players (it has to) and we have seen a couple of comebacks. We know that to be true. How much comes from inside and outside the organization is exactly what Ben is working on.”
The Pirates are one of seven teams within a game and a half of a wild card spot, which Nutting called a “really interesting and exciting time,” and they said they might not wait until the MLB trade deadline on the 30th. July to make a move to add. Another bat if they can find a suitable business partner.
“I think we should be prepared to act as soon as possible,” Nutting said. “I think we should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. “So I know Ben has that flexibility to consider a broader range of alternatives and options, but also a timeline of when it makes sense to attack.”
Nutting also dismissed the idea that the infusion of money from the three-year partnership with Sheetz announced Friday will have any impact on the Pirates’ decisions about whether or not to spend to compete.
“Honestly, I think we would have the same flexibility before and after,” Nutting said. “We need to think longer term about how to manage payroll, how do we make sure we are prepared to take advantage of any window that is open, make sure we are prepared for the long term? At least from my seat, it is a broader horizon.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A native of Baldwin and graduate of Penn State, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered Pitt high school sports, football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be contacted at kgorman@triblive.com.
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