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The Pittsburgh Pirates and owner Bob Nutting have again found themselves in the baseball spotlight — and not for the right reasons.
The Pirates came under fire on Tuesday when they designated Rowdy Tellez for assignment with six games left in the regular season. Tellez was just four plate appearances shy of 425 on the season, which would have triggered a $200,000 performance bonus that was built into his contract.
While both general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton were adamant in saying the looming payout had nothing to do with the decision, the timing certainly looked bad. Even more so when considering the Pirates’ reputation around the league as having a penny-pinching owner.
The news quickly went viral on social media with multiple major Twitter/X accounts posting about the decision to pull the plug on the Tellez experiment before a healthy bonus headed his way.
But the Pirates’ latest gaffe made it’s way even further into the national spotlight on Wednesday. ESPN columnist Jeff Passan, one of the top insiders in the sport, was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on Wednesday afternoon. Among the topics discussed was… you can guess.
Passan didn’t mince words when talking about Bob Nutting.
“How can you continue to exist as a Major League Baseball owner, who theoretically wants to win a championship, and do so pinching pennies? This is what happens. This, Pat, is the consequence of ownership that does not treat things seriously.”
Two clips sent out by Pat McAfee’s Twitter/X account can be found below for Passan’s full comments on Bob Nutting and the Pirates.
"The Rowdy Tellez situation happens when ownership doesn't treat things seriously..
Why do the Pittsburgh Pirates have an $86M payroll to start the season" ~ @JeffPassan #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/sTk3JJk2z0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 25, 2024
"I feel bad for Ben Cherington & everybody else who's trying to run this organization & win..
There simply isn't the money there to go out & do it" ~ @JeffPassan #PMSLive https://t.co/MWIal9pIyZ pic.twitter.com/bSg8C0d4Yh
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 25, 2024
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