PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates president Frank Coonelly expects the team’s payroll to increase next season, but not to the point where the last-place team can afford to sign a premium free agent.
The Pirates began the season with a major league-low $34 million payroll, though Coonelly says the end-of-season figure will be about $44 million. That’s about $6 million less than two years ago.
Coonelly says the Pirates won’t return to the days of signing past-prime players merely to bump the Steelers off newspaper pages in January. Instead, they will be looking to sign or trade for affordably price players who can make an impact but don’t require an oversized investment.
