Pirates' rumored Josh Naylor contract offer hints Bob Nutting is finally getting serious

The history behind Bob Nutting's reputation as being one of the cheapest owners in baseball goes deep. Recently, fans have gone crazy trying to pressure him into selling the team. They've been spotted flying protest banners around the city, funding billboards, chanting at home games, and even going national on College Gameday. In July, Rob Manfred even came out and said change needed to be made with the Pirates.

Throughout his tenure, Nutting has shown little willingness to invest meaningful funds into this roster, but a note from Jeff Passan this week shows that the world might be tilting on its axis. According to ESPN's insider, the Pirates were ready to offer Josh Naylor a contract over $78 million before he re-signed with Seattle for $92.5 million. They wanted to make Naylor their first multi-year free agent signing since Ivan Nova in 2016.

It is unclear exactly how much the Pirates intended on offering, but Passan noted that it was more than double the three-year, $39 million deal the Pirates gave Francisco Liriano in 2015. That would have been the biggest free agent signing in franchise history. For a franchise built on budget restraits, this rumor suggests something fans have never seen from Nutting: a willingness to spend on big time players.

Pirates reportedly prepared to offer Josh Naylor a big contract before he re-signed with the Mariners.

Although we cannot really celebrate a plan to offer a player, it is significant to finally see some sense of urgency from the front office. Naylor isn't the only free agent that the Pirates have been linked to, either. Passan also linked them to Kyle Schwarber, a player that will make more than Naylor. Signing Schwarber is completely unlikely, yet their reported interest raises a slim possibility.

The fact they were willing to spend big on Naylor is a meaningful step in the right direction. Still, it's tough to speculate on what this means moving forward. Will the Pirates stay busy with the top free agents on the market? Was this just a media ploy to fire up the frustrated fanbase?

Whatever the motive was, planning to be aggresive with Naylor suggests they are going out of their comfort zone to rebuild their offense. If Nutting truly wants to win back the fanbase, he needs to follow through with something big. This Naylor idea would have been exactly what he was looking for, but it didn't materialize. Now, they cannot back off, and they must pivot to other top-tier players before they all sign elsewhere.