Nutting Wants To See McCutchen Finish Career With Pirates
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - As he does every year, Pirates Chairman of the Board Bob nutting addressed his team and then shortly afterwards, the media.
Nutting doesn't talk much, if at all, during the regular season. It's the time of year when he addresses the state of his franchise and the Pirates' place in the game of baseball - both on and off the field.
A wide range of topics were discussed during the 23-minute session with reporters.
Among the most pertinent discussions was the future of center fielder Andrew McCutchen.
His contract doesn't expire until after the 2018 season. However, in a January USA Today article, Nutting hinted he'd like to see McCutchen finish his career in Pittsburgh. With McCutchen himself re-emphasizing the same message earlier this week, Nutting again addressed the topic on Wednesday.
"We are committed to try to find an opportunity [to find common ground]. There is no one who we'd like to have for a career in a Pirates uniform more than Andrew," Nutting said.
With Major League Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, many topics regarding competitive balance were discussed. From television and other team-controlled media, revenue streams, and perhaps most important to the Pirates, access to amateur talent to acquire, draft and develop internally.
Nutting said that at the recent Owner's Meetings that Commissioner Rob Manfred allowed all 30 teams to provide feedback, giving Nutting, "faith in the process."
Nutting shared what his input was to the Commissioner at those meetings.
"The most important piece for the Pirates is access to talent almost more than anything else," he said. "To infuse talent into the organization every way we can. Whether it's the amateur or international draft, to be able to bring in young, very talented players, run them through our excellent development system…to be able to produce players that can have an impact at the Major League level."
Listen to the entire press conference with the Nutting below:
