Here's why Pirates fans shouldn't worry about possible relocation amid MLB rumors

The on-field product for the Pittsburgh Pirates has been horrendous in 2025. And it culminated with the firing of manager Derek Shelton on Thursday following a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sitting at just 12-26 over a month into the season, the Pirates are on pace for 110 losses in 2025, which would be their worst showing since 1952 when they lost 112 games. The team's attendance has been as low as their hitting statistics, and despite having stars like Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz, no one wants to watch.

The national media attention is picking up for the Bucs, but not in the way fans want. They are in the bottom three or four of nearly every major MLB Power Ranking, despite being in year seven of a rebuild. Now, the opinions are getting more extreme by the day.

Bleacher Report writer lists 'moving to Nashville' as a reason to panic for the Pirates

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote about each team's weaknesses in a "Patience or Panic" article this week. His biggest weakness for the Pirates was their attendance, which could signal another, larger problem.

Obviously, their on-field performance is leading to the low attendance numbers, so many would point to that as their biggest weakness, but Miller was thinking of it more in a big-picture sense.

"Pittsburgh averaged fewer than 17,000 tickets sold, checking in below 13,000 in 10 of its 15 games," said Miller. "Even on Dollar Dog Day against the Cubs with Skenes on the mound this past Thursday, the announced attendance was 13,633."

In the Pirates' defense, that was a morning game on a Thursday, so it's not shocking that there were low attendance numbers that day. Miller put in perspective how bad these ticket sale numbers are, citing the Rockies, who hold a 6-29 record, as an apt comparison.

"For as dreadful as the Colorado Rockies are, they averaged north of 25,000 tickets sold per home game through the end of April, tallying at least 18,500 in all 15 contests."

These numbers are what point Miller to this being the Pirates' most notable concern. A number of teams, including the White Sox last season, have been rumored to make a move to Nashville due to poor performance.

Miller's concerns with attendance, especially when the Rookie of the Year, All-Star Starter, and Cy Young Finalist is on the mound, are valid, but this is an overreaction.

The reason for this is solely because PNC Park is so legendary. Each year, different media outlets rank all 30 MLB ballparks, and rarely does PNC fall out of the top five or top three. In 2023, the Pirates made renovations to the park, leaving fans to believe there is no way that a move to Nashville is imminent.

While attendance is a concern for the Pirates, the chances of a relocation to Nashville are extraordinarily low. We would say that the biggest concern for the Bucs is that they haven't put a formidable team on the field in seven years, and don't look to anytime soon. Relocation won't change that.

While the firing of Shelton doesn't solve the Pirates' problems by any means, it is hopefully a step in the right direction with the fans, who might be inspired to attend games as summer approaches if there's a semblance of a turnaround.