Travis Williams Could be the Next Pittsburgh Pirates President

Earlier today, Pittsburgh Pirates team president Frank Coonelly parted ways with the organization in a mutual agreement. The move will almost certainly lead to some major front office shake up with a potential replacement already being reported.

The Coonelly news came via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette and Dejan Kovacevic according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Frank Coonelly out as #Pirates president, sources tell me and @RobBiertempfel. First reported by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and mentioned by @Dejan_Kovacevic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 23, 2019

The reaction seems positive across Twitter and the Pirates subreddit. Any kind of change is almost certainly welcome with this fan base. The Pirates also appear to be wasting no time finding a replacement in the role of team president according to Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazzette.

Per sources, replacing Frank Coonelly as Pirates president will be former Penguins COO Travis Williams, who left Pittsburgh last fall to work for the New York Islanders: https://t.co/H2UJWpc673
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 23, 2019

Pittsburgh natives are already familiar with Travis Williams. Williams joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization back in 2008 and served as chief operating officer before taking on a bigger role with the New York Islanders last year.

While nothing is official quite yet, Mackey also reported earlier that the Pirates will be naming the new team president this upcoming Monday.

The Pirates are expected to name Coonelly's replacement on Monday. https://t.co/DueBp1N5QG
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 23, 2019

In this departing statement from Coonelly, he admitted upon self reflection that changes had to be made:

"“As we worked through a comprehensive assessment of everything that we do, I undertook an honest self-evaluation. While not an easy conclusion to reach, I ultimately decided that the best interests of the Pirates would be served if the Club had a new leader who would bring new ideas and a new direction.”"

Williams will certainly bring some fresh ideas if he is brought on as team president. With a hockey-heavy background over the last decade, Williams will likely look for high-level baseball minds to help lead his club.

The first change that many fans seem to want off the bat is the firing of general manager Neil Huntington. That is not a guarantee, of course, but Huntington could quickly find his way out the door if his vision does not align with Williams’. Hopefully the vision of Williams is one that aims higher than that of Coonelly.

Earlier today, Pittsburgh Pirates team president Frank Coonelly parted ways with the organization in a mutual agreement. The move will almost certainly lead to some major front office shake up with a potential replacement already being reported.

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