Twitter (X) is goofy on a good day.
Pirates Twitter is off-the-wall nutso.
Here’s what’s being demanded by the tweeters, bloggers, fanboys and stooges.
• Fire manager Derek Shelton.
• Fire GM Ben Cherington.
• Summon pitcher Bubba Chandler from Triple-A.
• Perform a miracle voodoo cure on pitcher Jared Jones that fixes his arm affliction and gets him back to his peak immediately.
• Micromanage the meager talent on hand to get maximum performance out of a roster that isn’t half-stocked with legit major-leaguers.
In short, Pirates Twitter expects an organization that doesn’t try to win…to somehow win.
When the Pirates do overachieve their intent, it’s a happy accident. Like 2013-15.
Those Pirates made the occasional impactful free agent signing, like catcher Russell Martin.
Those Pirates made the occasional shrewd trade, like for reliever Mark Melancon.
Those Pirates occasionally bolstered themselves at the MLB trade deadline, like acquiring pitcher J.A. Happ in 2015.
Those Pirates did a bit to maximize their opportunity.
All it got them in terms of added revenue was four home playoff games and ancillary income via merchandising, advertising, etc.
Their highest attendance for those three seasons was 2.498 million in 2015. The opening-day payroll was $88.2 million.
Last year, with a rotten team, they drew 1.7 million. The opening-day payroll was $72 million.
Was 2015 more profitable than 2024? Probably. But in 2015, there was risk involved.
Nobody knows for sure because nobody sees the books. (Except internally.)
But these Pirates do none of the above. In 2013, they signed Martin. In 2025, they signed Tommy Pham.
It’s a skinflint organization designed solely for the purpose of profit. It’s evolved in that regard from 2013-15.
When the usual suspects demand that things be fixed, remember: Bob Nutting thinks nothing is broken.
Bryan Reynolds might be broken. He just had an 0-for-18 slump and is hitting .238 with four home runs.
Paul Skenes might be broken. His velocity is down, he allowed three home runs in one inning Thursday, his ERA is a pedestrian 2.74, and the Pirates are 3-4 on days he pitches.
Do the performances of legitimately good players suffer because they’re discouraged by being on a hopeless team?
Skenes probably isn’t broken.
But it’s only his second MLB season, and he’s not currently a phenom. That’s concerning, though the usual suspects don’t think so.
Skenes is trying to add pitches. Maybe it’s like Rick Vaughn in “Major League II” when he lost his fastball because he tried too hard to expand his repertoire. Big mistake. (Bigger mistake: Going PG-13 for the sequel instead of R like the original.)
At any rate, Skenes will be in New York or Los Angeles soon enough.
Chandler will be the new phenom. A better phenom. At least that’s what we’ll be told.
If Skenes doesn’t pitch at a Cy Young level 90% of the time, these Pirates are even more hopeless than their roster dictates. That’s on Skenes. Not Shelton, Cherington, etc.
If everything demanded by Pirates Twitter got done, the Pirates would still stink.
If they replaced Shelton and Cherington.
If they called up Chandler.
If Jones recovered.
If Shelton’s successor was a latter-day Chuck Tanner and got the most out of everybody. (I loved Tanner.)
They would still be under. 500 and nowhere near a playoff berth.
The Pirates don’t spend enough. Winning isn’t an organizational priority. Their developmental stinks. Their roster is at least 50% garbage.
But at least the Clemente logo is back where it belongs. (If he were alive, he’d be ashamed.)