Do Pirates fans actually believe they had influence on Bob Nutting?

According to former MLB GM Jim Bowden, the noise Pittsburgh Pirates fans have been making is finally reaching Bob Nutting.

The Pirates' owner, Bowden said this week on the Foul Territory podcast, is “tired of all the hatred from fans. They’re tired of them not coming to the ballpark when Paul Skenes isn’t pitching.”

Because that’s a beautiful narrative — the loyal small-market fan base finally complaining loudly enough that ownership says, “You know what? You’re right. We should try winning baseball games.” Cue the violin music. Roll the montage. Fade to black.

But forgive Pirates fans if we don’t start slow-clapping just yet.

Let’s be honest: this sudden burst of spending and ambition feels a whole lot less like Nutting discovering human emotion for the first time, and a whole lot more like… math. Payroll math. Labor math. Collective bargaining math.

Are the Pirates really listening to fans, or just protecting the bottom line?

The timing here isn’t subtle. The next CBA is coming. Players have been loudly calling out the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Big-market clubs are spending like crazy. And meanwhile, small-market owners — including our friend, Bob — are bracing for a fight over revenue sharing, spending expectations, maybe even a salary floor.

You know what doesn’t look great heading into that negotiation? Being the guy who banks profit while running out one of the lowest payrolls in the sport… while your city chants sell the team and only shows up when Skenes throws 101.

So, suddenly, the Pirates are signing real free agents. They’re “in” on legitimate bats. They’re floating nine-figure intentions like a team trying to prove they can be trusted. Is this fan backlash? Or brand management before a labor war?

Because if Nutting truly cared what fans think, wouldn’t this shift have started — oh, I don’t know — years ago? Like, before Andrew McCutchen had to come home to stabilize the vibes? Before fourteen different “rebuilds” wandered the desert? Before the franchise player basically became Pitching Day at Kennywood?

Instead, it feels like the Pirates are trying very hard to avoid becoming the cautionary tale –– the Exhibit A the Players Association points to and says, “See? This is what revenue sharing abuse looks like.”

So, yeah, Bowden can say Nutting is tired of hearing the boos. And maybe that’s part of it. Nobody likes being public enemy No. 1 in their own ballpark. But if this was really about protecting leverage, defending profits, and making sure the Pirates don’t get painted into the corner of “non-competitive freeloaders” at the next CBA table? Tell me that doesn’t sound just a bit more on-brand.

If Nutting actually wants to win, love it. Please. Spend more. Build around Skenes and Konnor Griffin. Make PNC Park a place where people show up even when the ace isn’t pitching.

But Pirates fans have been promised culture shifts before. So we’ll believe the Pirates are spending for us when they keep doing it after the league meetings end.