LAWMAKERS: PIRATES NEED TO SPEND

With the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lease at PNC Park set to expire in 2030, two state representatives are throwing the first hard and high fastballs in a bid to force the baseball team to become more competitive.

Republican legislators Tim Bonner, of Mercer County, and Jim Gregory, of Blair County, are calling on the Pirates to spend more to improve the team and to ensure taxpayers who helped fund the ballpark get a better return on their investment.

Their pitch came in response to a state Independent Fiscal Office report issued Wednesday which found that if the Pirates won just three more games each year, it would increase fan spending by $76 million.

Of that, $45 million would be spent outside the ballpark to support the local economy, according to the report, which was requested by the two legislators.

In an interview, Mr. Bonner, who grew up in Braddock and who used to take street cars or buses to Pirates games, said he requested the study out of frustration with the team’s mostly losing ways over the past 30 years.

“I’m just not a casual Pirates fan. I’m much more than that. I don’t know what to do other than to try to stir the debate on this as we come to the renewal of this lease,” he said.

Mr. Bonner said the report shows that if the Pirates improve even slightly, it can have a major economic impact. Conversely, “low payroll generates low low attendance and less economic activity. That’s always been surmised. This report documents it,” he maintained.

But the Pirates pushed back against the narrative, stating in a formal response to the report that “focusing solely on Major League payroll is limiting because there are countless other investments that clubs make to develop a winning team.”

“Moreover, the report acknowledges that there is a myriad of other factors that impact winning percentage, yet those factors are neither analyzed nor incorporated into the report,” the team stated.

In a statement, Brian Warecki, the Pirates senior vice president of communications, added, “We have been very clear about our plan to build and sustain a winner at the Major League level and have made significant progress in the execution of that plan. We are an exciting, young team with the core pieces in place to be able to compete for the postseason this season and beyond.”

But Mr. Bonner said he has heard that refrain before.

“Those words ring very hollow to me. I’ve heard those words for the last 30 years. I just don’t have faith and confidence in the current leadership that they will do anything. We’ve been close before and they’ve let the team disintegrate, fall apart,” he said.

The report found, perhaps not surprisingly, that there’s a “positive relation between payroll and wins.” It stated that the Pirates’ real payroll peaked at $124 million in 2015, along with win percentage at 60% and average game attendance at 30,800.

But between 2016 and 2018, average real payroll fell to $119 million, win percentage dropped to 48%, and average attendance declined to 23,200.

At the same time, it concluded that the Pirates do have a substantial economic impact on the region. During the 2023 season, for example, it estimated that the team produced $254 million in net direct spending, $546 million in total spending, and $22 million in state taxes.

The team also supported 2,950 full-time equivalent jobs and $219 million in labor income.

Mr. Warecki took note of that in his response.

“What this report confirms is the significant economic impact that the Pirates generate for our city, county and state. This impact is highlighted even further in the report’s direct comparison to Philadelphia, a city with a population five times that of Pittsburgh,” he said.

In announcing the findings, the GOP legislators saw it differently, stating that the Pirates’ economic impact numbers “fall proportionally behind” the Phillies.

Based on a separate analysis by the Independent Fiscal Office, the Phillies in 2023 generated $525 million in net direct spending, $970 million in direct spending, $45 million in state tax dollars, and 5,450 jobs. The IFO, established by state law 14 years ago, carries out revenue and other financial analyses, often at the behest of the General Assembly.

“Even with the contrast of population size taken into consideration, the differences of financial output from the Phillies compared to the Pirates is vastly different,” the legislators stated in their release.

Reps. Bonner and Gregory stepped to the plate with their complaints at a time when the Pirates are edging toward the end of the current lease at PNC Park in October 2030.

The team and the Pittsburgh Sports & Exhibition Authority, the PNC Park owner, have yet to start negotiations on a new lease or an extension. But those talks are expected to begin within the next couple of years.

Mr. Bonner said he is hoping the report will help the SEA negotiate stronger lease terms that would reward the Pirates for fielding a more competitive team while imposing penalties — such as higher rent payments — “if they continue down the path of failure.” The team currently pays a $100,000 base rent each year to play at PNC Park.

“The Pirates are a community asset. They owe more to the fans that what they’ve given them over the last 30 years,” he said.

However, state Sen. Wayne Fontana, a Brookline Democrat who chairs the SEA board, said he’s not sure that the Independent Fiscal Office report provides much new ammunition for the looming lease negotiations.

He noted that Pirates owner Bob Nutting has been repeatedly vilified by fans over the years for not spending enough money on players to field a contender.

“You have to spend money to buy players and things like that. There’s no question about that. I don’t know that this report says anything different. It just confirms all of the stuff from the past,” Mr. Fontana said.

At the same time, he stressed that he expects the Pirates’ spending practices and competitiveness to be part of the discussion in the talks over a new lease or an extension.

“I’m sure it will be part of the conversation without a doubt in the negotiations,” he said. “If you want a better team you need to make trades and spend money. I certainly don’t disagree with that.”

In an interview, Mr. Gregory, who lives in Blair County, home of the Altoona Curve, a Pirates minor league affiliate, said he also is hoping the report will serve as fodder in the upcoming lease negotiations.

“Any taxpayer . . . should want the best deal possible from the owner of that stadium,” he said. “The SEA is sitting at the negotiating table and they represent the taxpayers. They should get the best deal for the taxpayers, not only for Pittsburgh and that region, but for Pennsylvania.”

In their release, the legislators stated that the Pirates received $75 million in state funding toward the construction of $260 million PNC Park, which opened in 2001. County taxpayers contributed another $147 million.

Mr. Warecki said the Pirates “have and will continue to invest significantly in the fan experience” at the North Shore ballpark, routinely rated as among the best in Major League baseball. One of the most recent additions was a new, larger $5.6 million scoreboard, part of which was funded through a $1 ticket surcharge.

In its formal response, the Pirates added the report did not address numerous other ways they and PNC Park positively impact the region. That includes events, programs, and other initiatives they and Pirates Charities fund and host to benefit the community.

“As an organization, we look forward to driving more economic impact for the city, county and state, as well as providing many other benefits to our local community, for decades to come,” the team stated.

Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com.