PITTSBURGH (AP) -Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington wrote an open letter to the team’s fans explaining the decision to trade center fielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves wasn’t financially motivated.
The Pirates, who traditionally have one of the majors’ lowest payrolls, are averaging a major league-low 16,588 in attendance. The low turnout is prompting speculation that the surprise McLouth deal last week was made to save money.
McLouth, the Pirates’ lone All-Star last season, was traded for three prospects, only one of whom is considered to be close to reaching the majors. The trade enraged not only fans but the Pirates’ players, with first baseman Adam LaRoche saying he didn’t know of any player who wasn’t unhappy.
Since last season, the Pirates have dealt their three most productive offensive players in Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and McLouth. The Pirates signed McLouth to a contact extension during the offseason.
untington wrote in a letter dated Saturday and posted on the team’s Web site. “In fact, our owner, Bob Nutting, was as surprised as some of our fans when we sought his approval for this trade. I am grateful that he has faith in me, our baseball operations staff and the processes we have in place to approve a move like this, despite the risk of public backlash on him personally and the organization as a whole.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an editorial encouraging the Nutting ownership group to sell the team to owners who are more interested in winning. The paper wrote, “It’s time Pittsburgh baseball had ownership worthy of the game.”
Huntington said other tough decisions must be made as the Pirates attempt to end a cycle of losing that began shortly after the three-time NL East championship club was broken up following the 1992 season.
The Pirates can set a major American pro sports league record this year with a 17th consecutive losing season; no major league, NBA, NHL or NFL team has had a streak longer than 16 years.
“We have said several times that tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship caliber organization,” Huntington wrote. “The decision to trade Nate was perhaps the most difficult one personally and professionally that we have made to date.”
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