Bob Nutting won't sell Pirates, team CEO tells frustrated fans - ESPN

Pittsburgh Pirates CEO Travis Williams said the organization is committed to winning but declared to frustrated fans that owner Bob Nutting will not sell the team.

Williams addressed fans' frustration over Nutting's ownership Saturday during a Q&A session at the Pirates' annual offseason fan fest.

As Williams was responding to the first question, one fan in attendance shouted, «Sell the team,» prompting some applause from the audience. At that point, several fans started chanting, «Sell the team!»

Greg Brown, the Pirates' longtime television play-by-play announcer, asked the fans to stop the chant and to «be respectful.» Another fan then asked Williams, who was seated next to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton, why Nutting was not in attendance.

«We know, at the end of the day, this is all passion that has turned into frustration relative to winning,» Williams said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. «I think the points that you are making in terms of 'Where is Bob?' That's why he has us here, we're here to execute and make sure that we win.»

Williams added that Nutting, who has owned the Pirates since 2018, was scheduled to attend the event and interact with fans at some point later Saturday.

«To answer your immediate question that you said earlier, Bob is not going to sell the team,» Williams said. «He cares about Pittsburgh, he cares about winning, he cares about us putting a winning product on the field and we're working towards that every day.»

Nutting has been widely criticized by fans and local media in recent years as the Pirates have toiled at or near the bottom of the National League Central standings.

The Pirates went 76-86 last season en route to their fourth last-place