The Pittsburgh Pirates are notoriously stingy when it comes to their payroll, but offseason rumors have linked them to big-name free agents like Josh Naylor and Kyle Schwarber. Some fans are pessimistic, believing that the Pirates will perform their usual song and dance that ends up going nowhere, but others see a way the Pirates actually live up to offseason expectations, with justification to boot.
In a recent interview on the smaller market teams potentially making a big difference this offseason, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal spoke to sports agent Seth Levinson, who posited that the uptick might be due to upcoming re-negotiations to the MLB’s collective bargaining agreement. The CBA might include new stipulations for revenue sharing, which the Pirates benefit from, and they might want to put on a show this year with that in mind.
“There is a possibility of a fight among clubs over revenue sharing, with the smaller markets seeing a greater contribution,” Levinson said, via Rosenthal. “The payors (large-market clubs) will argue that insufficient revenue-sharing funds are being spent on player acquisition.”
“Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the smaller markets compete for talent in the free-agent market to convince the payors that they are committed to putting a better product on the field.”
Current Revenue Sharing for Small Market Teams
Jul 27, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates owner Robert Nutting (C) talks with team president Frank Coonelly (L) and general manager Neal Huntington (R) in the dugout before the Pirates host the New York Mets at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Rosenthal suggested on Foul Territory that the Pirates likely get a comparable revenue sharing deal to small market teams like the Miami Marlins and the Oakland A’s, who both likely get more than the Pirates, but who reportedly receive about $70 million. Rosenthal also suggested that Bob Nutting might not survive as an owner under a new CBA, estimating that a potential salary floor (however unlikely) might land around $120 or $130 million, which far exceeds the Pirates’ typical payroll (Spotrac has them spending $84,423,338 in 2025).
The fanbase’s excitement and hesitation that anything will come of the team’s supposed offseason goals is understandable, and based firmly in logic and experience. The team has struggled for nearly two decades under Nutting’s control, and fans have protested the owner time and time again. That hatred from their own home town was listed as another reason the Pirates might actually try to make a move for once, as theorized by an anonymous rival MLB executive.
“The unpopularity of both teams in their respective markets is likely a driver, according to an executive with a rival club who was granted anonymity for his candor,” Rosenthal relayed. “The Pirates ranked 26th in attendance last season and the Marlins 28th, ahead of only the two clubs that played in minor-league ballparks. But whether the clubs actually change their behavior or are simply talking big remains to be seen, the executive said.”
The Pirates still boast starting pitcher Paul Skenes, who won the CY Young for his 2025 performance. The Pirates have an opportunity to build a team around him if they’re willing to spend the money, but they have proved unwilling to do so in the past. Whether Nutting will make this a memorable offseason in Pittsburgh to save his own skin remains to be seen, but if a new CBA makes it harder for Nutting to be the team’s owner, Pirates fans may come out on top after all.