Pittsburgh Pirates fans have had just about enough of team owner Bob Nutting and his cost-cutting ways.
Two days after the Pirates finalized a trade that sent popular outfielder Andrew McCutchen to the Giants, thousands of signatures have been gathered on a petition on change.org asking Major League Baseball to force Nutting to sell the team.
Over the weekend, starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was dealt to the Houston Astros as part of a five-player swap. The two moves shed about $20 million off of the Pirates’ payroll.
Cole couldn’t resist taking a shot at the Pirates at his Astros introductory press conference, saying Wednesday, “Obviously, the (Astros) organization values me very high, and that always feels good as a player,” Cole said.