State lawmakers calling for Pirates to increase payroll

The pair cite the economic impact it would have compared to the Phillies across the state.

Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are calling on the Pittsburgh Pirates organization to increase spending on player salaries, which, in turn, they said, will result in millions more for the local economy.

State Reps. Tim Bonner, R-Mercer/ Butler and Jim Gregory, R-Blair, said a report released Wednesday by Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office showed that the economic impact of the Pirates lags behind its cross-state counterpart, the Philadelphia Phillies. They requested the office look into the economic impacts of both ballparks because they were built, in part, with taxpayer dollars.

Having documentation that shows spending can generate success, the pair hope the study can be used by local governmental entities to push for more from the organization, Bonner said.

“The study says that if we could even become mediocre … it would have a significant economic impact,” he said. “Fans would come back to support the Pirates.”

It cost $270 million to build PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. It opened April 9, 2001.

Both men grew up attending Pirates games and now are devoted fans. Bonner said he rode a street car and bus from his childhood home in Braddock to games and Gregory, who grew up in Latrobe, often missed school for opening day.

The report found the three best years for game attendance — 2013, 2014 and 2015, when the team qualified for the postseason — also had win percentages between 54% and 60% while payroll ranged from $90 to $124 million, the highest of the seasons studied from 2012 to 2023.

Attendance, wins and payroll dropped off in the years after with payroll at $76 million in 2023.

Researchers estimated the economic impact of total spending at $546 million, which includes fan and team operations dollars as well as supply chain businesses and employee earnings. But millions more could be on the table, lawmakers and researchers said, if the team posted a better record. The majority of Pirates seasons over the past few decades have ended in more losses than wins.

“Wins equals smiles and people spend more money when they’re smiling,” Gregory said, adding that the team has gone through years of losing seasons to get pitcher Paul Skenes, whose performance has generated excitement.

But he and Bonner agreed they, and Pirates fans, have concerns Skenes won’t be around for the long term.

In a letter included in the report, the Pirates said other factors impact winning percentage, but weren’t incorporated into the study.

“Focusing solely on Major League payroll is limiting because there are countless other investments that clubs make to develop a winning team,” according to the letter, which also outlined other economic impacts by the team and PNC Park.

The lawmakers compared the results to a similar study that examined the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have made the playoffs the last few years, losing in the World Series in 2022.

The Phillies have similar game attendance and average win percentage as the Pirates, but twice as much payroll spending. The economic impact of total spending related to Citizens Bank Park was pegged at $970 million, according to the study. Population in the eight-county Pittsburgh region is about 2.2 million while a four-county region in Philadelphia is home to 4.4 million.

Gregory disputed that the economic differences have anything to do with population.

Like the Pirates, the Phillies organization also sent a letter to the office that indicated the park has had far more of an economic impact, including additional events held there and real estate development in the area.