Bob Nutting will seal the Pirates fate by the end of July, What’s it Going to be?

If you’ve known Bob Nutting for a while you know he is not a man of word but one of business instead. Securing profits comes first, the championship and quality entertainment second. He promised higher salaries for his players if they stepped up the game, they delivered, he didn´t.

Nutting claims to the media he wants McCutchen to be a Pirate for life, but the contract of the number one player of the Pirates expires in less than a year and no extension has been offered. Nutting is cheap when it comes to millionaire salaries.

Now the Pirates present a 2-4 run and the boss will have to sweeten up his best player’s deals if he wishes the good results to continue.

The Pirates are just three games from first place in the NL Central. The division might be small, but wining it means more than a 98-win wild card. The Chicago Cubs are closing in the race with a 7-1 since the All-Star break, and it wouldn’t be beneficial to cut loose the best players in the next phase.

The Pirates deserve a lot more, their fans and players are all in. Their owner is not. Last season Mark Melancon and starting pitcher Francisco Liriano were ditched during last year’s trade deadline when the Pirates were just 4 games away from the NL’s second wild card.

Nutting is not one to pay salaries above $10 million and could cut McCutchen and Josh Harrison for that reason alone.

But with the current standings that would be a fool’s decision, at least from any fan or sports strategist’s point of view, not the one of a risk-averse businessman.

Odds of Winning the NL Central

Odds of the Pirates Winning the NL Central are still a longshot against the Cubs juggernaut lineup with big names. But Milwaukee’s 3-6 record seems to be fading and an opportunity to contest for the big prize has opened, the Pirates need all the best they can muster. Check all MLB betting odds at William Hill online because if the Pirates maintain their team intact after July 31 it wouldn´t be a bad idea to place a future bet on the team for winning the championship.

The season is well into its course and the Cubs and Cardinals pitching is just barely better than that of the Pirates. Jose Quintana isn´t making things a lot better for the Cubs, with disappointing performances of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey. In the end it was a good thing the Pirates did not get Quintana early in the season if that meant losing Josh Bell.

A No Risk Team

Nutting manages his sports team as a factory, players are employees rated on their present performance and cost vs investments results, instead of the entire campaign results. He cuts down risks when the chances of winning are not clear and makes a sell when profit opportunities arise. Yes, the Pirates are a profit generating machine for its owner, but no championships are won if you are not willing to risk a little. And a sports team main goal is to win championships, that’s its essence, profit making is a result of that effort.

Maintaining the present roster is of utter importance, now might not be the best moment to trade McCutchen for the sake of return.

These type of business moves dishearten the fans who come to see a spectacle with the hopes of winning something. But if the Pirates rise only to gain player value and then sell off, fans will leave when they feel there are no sports values that aligning to their passion.

The effects are already in play, attendance has dropped to 300K this season after dropping 250K last season. TV ratings for the Pirate games are down 27% on AT&T compared to last year.

But fans seem to have regained interest with the current standings of the team when 33,000 showed up in the game against Milwaukee.

Nutting needs to understand fans are not motivated by whatever profit he makes through trades, he is in the entertainment business and needs to deliver if he desires to keep his sports team going. If the Pirates keep their current base of players, they could actually win this thing.