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Pirates Have Minimal Post-2020 Payroll Commitments

By Jeff Todd | June 18, 2020 at 7:30pm CDT

2020 salary terms still need to be hammered out. But what about what’s owed to players beyond that point? The near-term economic picture remains questionable at best. That’ll make teams all the more cautious with guaranteed future salaries.

Every organization has some amount of future cash committed to players, all of it done before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. There are several different ways to look at salaries; for instance, for purposes of calculating the luxury tax, the average annual value is the touchstone, with up-front bonuses spread over the life of the deal. For this exercise, we’ll focus on actual cash outlays that still have yet to be paid.

We’ll run through every team, with a big assist from the Cot’s Baseball Contracts database. Prior entries can be found here. Next up is the Pirates:

*Includes buyouts on club options over Chris Archer and Gregory Polanco

*Does not include remaining contractual obligations to Felipe Vazquez (on restricted list and facing multiple criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions)

(click to expand/view detail list)

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2021-Beyond Future Payroll Obligations MLBTR Originals Pittsburgh Pirates

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41 Comments

  1. The Human Toilet

    5 years ago

    Chris Archer trade!!

    First to say it!

    BOOM!

    5
    Reply
    • Tim_Buck-Two

      5 years ago

      Man I thought I was watching a John Madden commercial for a second, boom tough acting tinactid

      2
      Reply
      • Goku the Knowledgable One

        5 years ago

        The Chris Archer trade is the worst trade in history.

        Never before has a rebuilding team traded 3 of their top 5 prospects, including #s 1 & 2 for a mediocre SP.

        Even worse is Huntington refused to trade prospects in 2013 (ALMOST division champs) where he could’ve gotten either 1/2 season of David Price or 1.5 seasons of Giancarlo Stanton for a package of Taillon, Polanco, Tony Sanchez etc.

        Why all of a sudden deal house for Archer 3 games out of a playoff spot 4 years later?
        Because Bob Nutting calls the shots.
        And Bob Nutting wanted Archer to sell tickets.
        Bob didn’t care about winning in 2013, the stadium was packed, so he absolutely was not adding salary.
        Not making an impact trade in 2012 or 13 had NOTHING to do with prospects and future.

        Rant over.

        Reply
        • PiratesFan1981

          5 years ago

          Archer did not come in during the 2012 or 2013 seasons. Anyways, I wasn’t happy with that Archer trade myself. Bob and company sold the fans on “nourish home grown talent to compete”. That Archer trade slapped the fans across the face and we have been angry since then. Some more loyal fans like myself was upset to see Reese McGuire, Jordan Luplow, Jacoby Jones, and several others traded before establishing themselves in MLB. Reese was in AA when traded and right about now I wish the Pirates held onto him. Luplow and Jones haven’t hit their full potential and may never will. But McGuire looks pretty good in Toronto right now.

          Reply
        • Goku the Knowledgable One

          5 years ago

          Wow u totally missed the point.

          It was a comparison that Neal said in 2012-13 that he wouldnt risk the future to win-now

          Then in 2018 sold house for Archer to boost ticket sales while saying they had to make an impact move to “win-now”

          Reply
  2. ElGaupo77

    5 years ago

    The Pirates have one of the highest rated farm systems on Fangraphs, two guys that got ROY votes (Reynolds and Newman), Josh Bell AND a lot of payroll flexibility. They are in pretty good shape.

    4
    Reply
    • The Human Toilet

      5 years ago

      now only if they had a owner who is committed to winning and spends a couple bucks on the team once in a while.

      5
      Reply
    • gdjohnson

      5 years ago

      When Josh Bell is your best player (by far) your team is not in good shape.

      3
      Reply
      • 66TheNumberOfTheBest

        5 years ago

        Actually, technically, their best player is in Westmoreland County Prison, which means your team is in a pretty bad spot.

        3
        Reply
        • coupofthecentury

          5 years ago

          Well said

          Reply
        • DarkSide830

          5 years ago

          Bell is a better player by far if we are honest

          Reply
        • 66TheNumberOfTheBest

          5 years ago

          Bell is a more important player as an everyday starter and cleanup hitter, but a better player? No.

          Vazquez was elite.

          2
          Reply
        • Padres458

          5 years ago

          Bell had one great half season, thats it.

          Reply
        • Goku the Knowledgable One

          5 years ago

          Bell is still relatively young and still could have a HOF career

          Reply
      • jturk

        5 years ago

        Are you a better ball player than Josh Bell? Than shut the F up. Your opinion doesn’t matter dumb ass

        1
        Reply
        • 66TheNumberOfTheBest

          5 years ago

          Am I? No. Was Vazquez? Yes.

          You are free to ignore my comments just as much as you did your English teacher’s lessons.

          You have fun with that.

          3
          Reply
    • Goku the Knowledgable One

      5 years ago

      Their pitching is pitiful

      Not many prospects either beyond Keller, who will be up

      Reply
  3. 66TheNumberOfTheBest

    5 years ago

    “Pirates Have Minimal Post-2020 Payroll Commitments”

    The words “Post-2020” seem a bit superfluous here.

    Pirates Have Minimal Payroll Commitments.

    Better.

    Rest assured, Nutting is one of the owners who’d rather not play. Ever. He’s in the black before a single back side touches a plastic seat.

    5
    Reply
    • retire21

      5 years ago

      FWJBT, you just offered an argument for Nutting being one of the last owners who would NOT want games played. If he’s making cash from the giddy-up, does he really stand to lose as much as Yanks, Sox, Dodgers, etc? I mean, his team has hardly any payroll commitments, perhaps $20Mish and declining attendance. Idk. Just a thought.

      1
      Reply
      • 66TheNumberOfTheBest

        5 years ago

        National TV money, local TV money, revenue sharing, merchandise, video games, etc. more than cover the minuscule payroll without tickets.

        But, a miniscule MLB payroll is still $40 million or more he can pocket with no season.

        Reply
        • retire21

          5 years ago

          $20ish this year though, what with the truncated season.
          Are there any Galbreath heirs that could re-purchase the team?

          1
          Reply
        • Goku the Knowledgable One

          5 years ago

          The issue is he doesn’t want to sell and no one can force him.

          He obviously doesn’t care about being hated.

          His names been Bob Nutting his entire life and hes out for revenge

          Reply
  4. HubcapDiamondStarHalo

    5 years ago

    It’s the Pirates. Are you SURE the $15.25 is millions?

    6
    Reply
  5. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    shocker

    3
    Reply
  6. smrtbusnisman04a

    5 years ago

    A payroll that low is asking to be expanded.

    Bob Nutting: Oh my Sweet Summer child…..

    1
    Reply
  7. 8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH

    5 years ago

    Pirates are perennial trash

    Reply
    • Scott Kliesen

      5 years ago

      Perennial trash? Checks records. Notes they have 4 winning seasons and 3 playoff appearances in last 7 years.

      Doesn’t it suck when cold, hard facts don’t support your cold, PRICKly opinion?

      3
      Reply
      • retire21

        5 years ago

        Scott Kliesen, 8Man is just pointing out that the Brewers, Padres, Rays & Jays all have more World Series titles than the Pirates.

        1
        Reply
        • wkkortas

          5 years ago

          Umm….1925, 1960, 1971, 1979.

          1
          Reply
        • User 4095290658

          5 years ago

          Don’t forget 1909!

          That’s FiVE World Series titles. The ignorance of baseball history in MLBTR comments is astounding.

          Not you WKKortas… those above.

          1
          Reply
        • clepto

          5 years ago

          Retire21 should be regarded as an idiot, and his comments ignored. They have no value. We learned that on the cause of civil war commentary he made. A real gem.

          Reply
        • retire21

          5 years ago

          My original post was , of course, sarcasm.
          Civil War expert clepto, “states’ rights” and the “Lost Cause” , amirite?

          Reply
        • retire21

          5 years ago

          With my username, you people really believed I was being sincere?!
          Wow.

          Reply
  8. Scott Kliesen

    5 years ago

    Pirates are well positioned to contend for division title in a couple seasons. They have solid core (Bell, Reynolds, Newman, Keller, etc.) of young players, payroll flexibility to supplement with FA’s, and a farm system to keep window of contention open for several years once it opens up.

    Reply
    • leefieux

      5 years ago

      Where are they going to come up with the pitchers? No frontline starters. No power sources other than Bell. They are a LONG way from contention.

      Reply
      • Goku the Knowledgable One

        5 years ago

        Yep no pitching whatsoever beyond Keller and maybe Jameson.

        Bell will be traded after this season . Heck of a player tho.

        Reply
    • Goku the Knowledgable One

      5 years ago

      A rebuilding team doesn’t recover after trading Meadows, Glasnow, Baz, then not getting any prospects for Cole.

      They’d have a bright future if they still had those 3, and got even one prospect for Cole (say Forrest Whitely or Justus Sheffield)

      In fact, they’d be loaded.

      That’s what should make you sick.

      1
      Reply
  9. louman49

    5 years ago

    Yeah they are a long long way to go . Maybe they are the 1962 New York Mets.

    Reply
  10. Polish Hammer

    5 years ago

    When you operate as a AAAA organization it’s easy to see their financial obligations going forward would be minimal.

    1
    Reply
  11. jjgrappler

    5 years ago

    They have the potential but the problem is ownership. Hopefully with a new GM he can get through to the owners and get them to invest their team more. They have the potential the problem is ownership.

    1
    Reply
    • Goku the Knowledgable One

      5 years ago

      Bob made Neal wait until the final days of the old September waiver trade deadline to trade for Byrd and Morneau, (who would’ve been useful a month prior to win a division that came down to the final game) because it saved him a few tens of thousands of dollars in game checks.

      Cant make these things up.

      Never have we seen more of a penny pincher.

      Reply

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