PIRATES CHAT
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights from Jason Mackey’s Wednesday Pirates chat, which you can join weekly at post-gazette.com. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity:
• Craig: Is now the right time to bring Lonnie Chisenhall back to the Pirates?
Jason Mackey: I don’t know why, I had forgotten for a couple days that they signed Lonnie Chisenhall to an actual major league contract last year. Thank you for the reminder.
seferg: If you had the power to make owners and players adhere to your decision, how would you divide up this years baseball earnings and pay players and owners?
Jason Mackey: I would pay the players what was negotiated — their prorated salaries. My primary goal would be getting baseball back ASAP. Then, I would try to monetize things to make up the money. Maybe I try to put ads on uniforms. Or on tarped seats inside the ballpark, ads on the outfield, etc. Just one year. But players — and fans — would have to be understanding that things are a little different.
Steven: I’ve always felt Jason Kendall was a respectable man who resembles the Pirates organizational values, charitable, and a good teammate. Why isn’t he remembered like that within the organization?
Jason Mackey: I think Kendall is a really good dude. He’s become a friend, honestly. I think the Pirates — and any other baseball club — would be wise to hire him. At minimum, I think he’s worth celebrating as an important part of your organization. I suppose that a lack of winning during his time here had something to do with it.
Itsyoboi: When’s the earliest we can expect a proposal to be agreed on?
Jason Mackey: I believe they’re meeting again Thursday. MLB just sent over like an 80-page proposal on health and safety, which is great. I would say Thursday afternoon, but I think that’s way, way too optimistic given what we know about financials. Probably next week is more likely.
James: This is driving me crazy. The players are being painted as if they are asking for their full salaries, that “they won’t take a pay cut.” They have already agreed to a 50% pay cut, but many don’t want to paint it that way. Asking for your agreed upon compensation is not greedy; it just isn’t.
Jason Mackey: I don’t have any issue with the players saying, hey, we already agreed to something here … and it includes a 50% pay cut. I also think it stinks that the owners went this route to start — the revenue sharing thing — which will force the players to bat it away and look like jerks.
BobK: How likely do you think it is that the owners and players will be able to reach an agreement? Seems like it’s more than money — some players very concerned about safety. Is there a chance some players don’t agree to play but others do?
Jason Mackey: I think they’ll agree. Had someone reinforce to me last night that there’s too much money at stake here. Eventually, something will get done. However, I just hope it doesn’t take too terribly long or look too terribly bad before it does get done.
James: Lots of scuttlebutt about teams taking signable players in the draft and offering under-slot to save money and just take the comp pick next year to save money now. Any opinion on the Pirates strategy?
Jason Mackey: I don’t see the Pirates doing that, honestly. They need to add talent. Now is definitely not the time to do that. They need to get a future building block, pay him what he’s worth and get him into the fold. I trust that the guys they hired will grasp that.