Every winter, somebody out there throws the Pittsburgh Pirates into a headline they have no business being in. This time, it’s ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, floating the idea that—long shot alert—the Pirates could be a landing spot for free agent slugger Pete Alonso.
And look, bless Castillo for even humoring the notion. National writers rarely remember the Pirates exist unless they’re a trivia answer or an easy punchline. But Pirates fans? We’ve watched Bob Nutting baseball for nearly two decades. We know better. We’ve been conditioned to flinch at the very idea of a superstar wearing black and gold in his prime.