2019-2020 Pittsburgh Pirates Off-Season Thread

[Beveridge]

Probably still needs some work next year in the minors.

[willeyeam]

[shafnutz05]

For any other team this would be super cool and exciting, but promising prospects in the as Pirates system does absolutely nothing for me. We will either ruin them and then trade him to a team where he will thrive, or he will do really well and we will trade him to a team where he will thrive more.

[Troy Loney]

Coonelly out.

[Morkle]

Bob Nutting is unhappy with the number of empty seats at PNC Park. lol.

[willeyeam]

Coonelly out.

one down

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

[Dickie Dunn]

Sources said owner Bob Nutting was very much involved in the move, as he would obviously have to be. Nutting has been unhappy with the Pirates’ popularity, specifically the number of empty seats at PNC Park.

Not that Coonelly is the primary reason for that — credit the on-field product and its lack of success — but this move would seem to signal a new path ahead.

Yea, don't think Coonelly is really responsible for everyone hating the cheap ass owner. If you have a hierarchy of management that goes Nutting-Coonelly-Huntington-Hurdle, how the **** do you dump two and four but number three gets to stick around and be a worthless shithead? CLEAN THE **** HOUSE.

Also

Whomever the Pirates decide to hire as president will inherit an ongoing managerial search, one that has moved into a second round of interviews.

Among those interviewing the first time were Jeff Banister, Derek Shelton, Mark Kotsay, Ryan Christenson and Stubby Clapp, along with a few others.

**** list.

[willeyeam]

I would have to think keeping the GM would be the new president's call right? Perhaps Coonely refused to let him go so he got the axe

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

for the record, coonelly is easily one of the biggest jagoffs in 21st century Pittsburgh sports history

[robbiestoupe]

I'm actually surprised they did this, and also ecstatic. Here's my thinking: Bob has no clue how to run a baseball team. He's just a goofy trust fund baby with a degree in history from Williams College. And Coonelly is not much better with regards to baseball acumen. They need a guy who can be that middle man between Nutting and the GM. He has to know baseball, but also know business. And not be a complete jagoff as KtK mentioned.

I wonder if Coonelly's hand in the new TV deal (if he was involved) got him fired. Either way, fingers crossed the new president fires NH.

[DigitalGypsy66]

But why not clean house? Bizarre.

I know that there are only 30 MLB teams and a managerial position is a big deal, but how many good candidates would want to come and deal with this bullshit? That's why Banister makes the most sense. He gets the Pirates and is basically a Pirates lifer. Just not sure why that he hasn't been hired yet.

Maybe the next president will come in bring his own GM?

[Troy Loney]

I'm not sure that role that Coonelly had with the Pirates is uniform across the league. There isn't always a layer between ownership and GM.

It would seem like maybe who ever they hire to replace Coonelly will have less say in the baseball operations, because it wouldn't make sense to dump Coonelly and keep the GM. It also make even less sense to have NH conduct this managerial search, to then be replaced by the new president. So, in all, I would say that NH is running the baseball operations.

[willeyeam]

What if NH is the new president

[Ad@m]

Whomever the Pirates decide to hire as president will inherit an ongoing managerial search, one that has moved into a second round of interviews.

Among those interviewing the first time were Jeff Banister, Derek Shelton, Mark Kotsay, Ryan Christenson and Stubby Clapp, along with a few others.

**** list.

Just hire Stubby Clapp

[robbiestoupe]

What if NH is the new president

Coworker said the same thing and I nearly punched him in the junk

[Troy Loney]

What if NH is the new president

I doubt it. Seems likely that they bring in a replacement who is focused on the biz side, and NH is given clear authority over baseball operations. I never really understood the purpose of Coonelly's role on the team.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

I will miss having coonnelly around because he was a great heel.

[willeyeam]

This is great. DK wrote the below yesterday and is whining that he isn't getting credited with being first to report Connelly is gone

I don't believe Frank Coonelly will be the Pirates' team president much longer. I'm hearing that he's preparing for a move back to the commissioner's office to work with one-time-colleague-now-actual-commissioner Rob Manfred toward a new labor agreement.

[Dickie Dunn]

Writing that you "don't believe" isn't the same as being the first to report a story.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

DK inserting himself into a story? Why I never

[willeyeam]

[DigitalGypsy66]

A couple of sources say that Travis Williams - formerly of the Penguins - will be named president on Monday.

[willeyeam]

[Dickie Dunn]

Christ. Penguins to Islanders to Pirates in three seasons? How can one person fall so much in a such a short period of time?