‘Where is Bob?’ Pirates fans voice frustrations about franchise direction under Bob Nutting

The Pittsburgh Pirates play a game of chance by offering fans the opportunity to Ask Pirates Management questions at PiratesFest, so team president Travis Williams knew that he would be facing a first-pitch fastball Saturday morning at David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Williams responded to criticism about the Pirates not pursuing the best chance to win by saying he understands how passion turns into frustration when a team isn’t winning and vowed they are “absolutely committed to win.”

Then a shout came from the crowd: sell the team!

It came from Gabe Mazefsky, one of the organizers behind the billboards spotted around the city urging Pirates chairman Bob Nutting to sell his majority share of the MLB club. The group purchased 300 black T-shirts and handed them out for free to fans on the sidewalk outside David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Outside vs Inside at PiratesFest pic.twitter.com/WiXlnFEdHG

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 18, 2025

Mazefsky took the disgust of six consecutive losing seasons and a payroll that perennially ranks in the bottom third to another level and voiced his dissatisfaction when offered a chance by Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki to ask a question.

“My question actually is for Bob Nutting, and it’s this: Where is Bob?” said Mazefsky, 46, a real estate agent from Forest Hills. “Where is Bob, when he’s owned it now for three collective bargaining agreements that have left the situation in this town where we draft generational talent and we don’t back it up and invest in that team?”

That drew applause from the crowd. Then Mazefsky wondered why Williams, general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton were answering questions instead of Nutting, whom Williams said was in attendance at PiratesFest but meeting with season-ticket holders.

“Bob’s not going to sell the team,” Williams said. “He cares about Pittsburgh. He cares about winning. He cares about us putting a winning product on the field, and we’re working towards that every day.”

Mazefsky wasn’t alone in voicing his disapproval in a 37-minute Q&A session that was at times contentious. Cherington, who has overseen a complete rebuild, bore the brunt of it. He was asked whether he’s on the hot seat (“Every day since November 2019”). He was asked if he’s afraid to make big trades (“Zero fear”). He was asked if there was a plan to sign pitcher Paul Skenes and center fielder Oneil Cruz to long-term contract extensions or just trade them for “hot garbage like we always do.” And if the Pirates would make any moves before the season starts.

“It’s so obvious — and I can’t wait for Opening Day — but the sentiment is there,” Mazefsky said. “This is not what we signed up for.”

Despite back-to-back 76-win seasons, the Pirates continue to preach positivity to fans. They have one of the game’s most exciting pitchers in Skenes, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick who flashed his triple-digit fastball and “splinker” to win National League rookie of the year honors and finish third in NL Cy Young voting. They have one of the best ballparks in baseball in PNC Park, with the majestic city skyline as a backdrop.

And, as always, the promise that more talent is on the way.

Cherington talked about how “clarity is a drug,” and how the fans embraced the team when the Pirates were two games over .500 and within wild-card contention before enduring a 10-game losing streak in early August that led to a late-season collapse.

“It’s so clear to me, after five years, that’s what matters most to the people in this room, the people of Pittsburgh, it’s definitely what matters most to me, to everybody on this stage,” Cherington said. We’re going to do whatever we can to get to that as fast as possible. You could feel that energy in the ballpark when things were going better last year, and the place was full. You talk about a drug? That’s a drug. You want more of that.”

Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen on fans voicing frustrations about the franchise’s direction under Bob Nutting: pic.twitter.com/c0PEvvkpbJ

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) January 18, 2025

The reality is that the teams with the highest payrolls tend to win the World Series, as evidenced by the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the New York Yankees in October. What the Pirates need, franchise icon Andrew McCutchen said, is a David-and-Goliath mentality.

“We’ll never be the Dodgers as long as this franchise is the way that it is,” McCutchen said. “The Pirates have never been that. They’ve never been a big-spending team like the Dodgers or the Yankees. … But David did beat Goliath if I’m not mistaken. We just got to be like David, and that’s the way I’m looking at it.”

That will require a slingshot. McCutchen acknowledged that the Pirates aren’t going to outslug opponents but can win by executing routine plays and thriving in small ball. He wondered how many games the Pirates could have won last season, when they went 25-26 in one-run games and their bullpen blew 29 save chances, the third-most in the majors.

“When they start to see those things and you go, ‘if you did that, you could’ve won this amount of games and this could be your record. This is where you would’ve been at,’ ” McCutchen said. “Yeah, we would’ve been in the playoffs, we would’ve been in the wild card.”

After playing his first eight seasons with the Pirates before being traded to the San Francisco Giants and bouncing to the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, McCutchen also had a message for fans frustrated with Nutting’s stewardship of the franchise.

“I always say, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ I’ve learned that myself,” said McCutchen, who led the Pirates to three consecutive wild-card playoff appearances from 2013-15. “I can only speak from personal experience. Bob was a part of the winning here before. He knows what it takes. He understands what it takes. I’ve never been an owner, so I don’t know the answers to everything. A lot of people just go throw the book, sign whoever this, give them that type of money. Obviously, it’s not that easy to just do something like that. But I believe Bob understands what we need.”

McCutchen emphasized one of former Pirates manager Clint Hurdle favorite sayings: A team can beat talent when talent isn’t a team. In other words, if the Pirates are going to contend, they must take ownership of the team instead of waiting for ownership to buy a winner.

“All I know is I have to trust the guys who are in the clubhouse. We have to depend on each other to be able to go out and win a ball game, regardless of what Bob, the front office, whatever they feel or think,” McCutchen said. “If we execute and know our strengths, believe in each other, have each other’s back, that’s when you go out and win and you do great things. Payroll don’t mean nothing. That’s part of it. There aren’t too many Paul Skeneses out there, I know that. … We’re just in a good spot. We’re in a good position to where we have a good opportunity. We just have to do our best to capitalize off it and not spoil it.”