Pirates need to spend closer to $80M not $70M next year

The PG’s Bob Smizik posted on his blog this morning about Frank Coonelly promises. Smizik is a bozo and that’s one of the reasons we usually don’t troll his blog for anything other than a laugh but it’s hard to argue with his post this morning…kind of. Smizik uses a Coonelly interview with PiratesProspects.com as evidence that if the Pirates’ attendance kept rising, so would the payroll. Since Coonelly took over as head suit in 2007, the Buccos averaged 20,113 yinzers per game and ranked 28th in the majors in attendance. But last year, the Bucs jumped up to 22nd in paid attendance and brought in 24,255 fans a game, and increased that number by nearly 2,000 this year. This year, their payroll came in just under $62.5 mil – 26th in the league. Here’s what that means to Smizik: With an additional $26 million in national television revenue due to enter the team’s coffer in 2014, the fan base has every right to expect the Pirates to live up to Coonelly’s promise in 2013. Pirates payroll ...