Pirates spending rumors are nothing until Bob Nutting finally pays a singular free agent

The volume may have been turned up a little louder this year, but Pittsburgh Pirates fans have heard this song before.

Every winter, it’s the same script: spending flexibility, being aggressive, exploring the market, we like our options. And every spring, it ends the same way — with a patchwork roster held together by waiver claims, one-year flyers and the annual reminder that none of it actually matters until Bob Nutting signs a real free agent.

Not a bounce-back lottery ticket. Not a post-prime bargain. Not a “buy-low” name you recognize from 2017. A real free agent –– one who costs real money, and one who had other options.

Until that happens, all these reports about the Pirates being “in” on players are just vapor –– the same offseason mirage fans have chased for a decade while the payroll stays parked at the bottom of Major League Baseball like it’s welded to the concrete.

We’ve been told the money is coming before. We’ve been told the window is open. And yet, what’s the Pirates’ last defining free-agent moment? Francisco Liriano in 2014? Russell Martin in 2013? That’s not “history.” That’s archaeology.

If the Pirates are serious about winning, they need to stop talking and start spending

On paper, this is actually the offseason where the narrative should finally change. The Pirates have a generational ace in Paul Skenes. They have a real young core. They’re finally in a division that isn’t stacked with superteams. If there were ever a moment where empty words deserved to become actual dollars, this is it.

But here’s the problem: Pirates fans don’t trust Nutting. Frankly, they have no reason to. Spending rumors don’t move anyone anymore. “Aggressive” doesn’t mean anything when the checks never clear. “In the conversation” is worthless when the conversation ends with the Pirates being outbid — again — by everyone who actually runs a modern baseball franchise.

The team can be “interested” in whoever they want, but fans won't care until a player actually signs. Because if Nutting isn’t willing to hand out one serious contract — just one — everything else is noise meant to buy patience, deflect pressure, and keep fans dreaming without ever cashing in.

That’s the infuriating part: nobody in Pittsburgh is asking for the Pirates to suddenly become the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nobody is demanding $300 million contracts. Nobody expects the Pirates to win bidding wars with New York. All fans want is one moment that proves this team is done pretending –– one signing that says, "We mean it this time."

The Pirates need to sign one contract that tells fans this organization understands what it has in Skenes — and is finally ready to act like it. Because if the winter ends with the same bargain-bin shopping spree and another lineup that depends on four bounce-backs, two maybes, and a prayer, then let’s be honest –– it wasn't a plan. It was simply another offseason built on vibes instead of victory.

Pirates fans are tired of hearing about money that never gets spent, seeing ownership celebrate savings more than wins, and being told to “trust the process” by people who refuse to invest in it. So if Nutting wants anyone — anyone — to believe this offseason is different? Write one check. Seriously, just one. Until then, all the talk in the world is just another winter of empty words wearing a new coat.