Bob Nutting relishes role on MLB council

According to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Bob Nutting was recently named to the eight-person ‘Executive Council’ by new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.  This change is the result of the new commish booting some long-time members of the council in favor of new blood.  Nutting had this to say, as quoted in Brink’s piece:

“Personally to be able to serve on the executive council, and to help steer this next chapter of the game is extremely exciting, I love the game, I love the opportunity.”

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This can only be seen as a great thing for Pittsburgh Pirates fans.  Not only will the Pirates have a seat at the table in Bob Nutting, but the mix of market sizes for team owners that are on the council is a very good mix.  Also joining Nutting on the council are representatives for the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and St. Louis Cardinals.   From this list we can see that these choices by Manfred were deliberate, as it runs the spectrum from large-market through mid-market all the way to small-market.

As the Pirates continue to find new and inventive ways to compete with teams with larger budgets, it is equally important that their voice be heard when it comes to deciding baseball-wide matters, such as pace of play, or the possibility of an international draft.  The Pirates can shift all they want, refurbish all the struggling pitchers they can find, and even look to the far east for talent, all in an effort to level the playing field.  However, unless their challenges as a small-market club are looked at through an honest lens, the larger-budgeted teams on the block can easily fight back by grossly overpaying for talent.   This was recently evidenced by the Yoan Moncada saga, ultimately won by the free-spending Boston Red Sox.

Bob Nutting’s place on this council is a great step forward for the Pirates.

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