Bob Nutting Refuses to Take Blame for Ruining Pirates After Selling Out Derek Shelton

Let’s not sugarcoat it—someone had to pay for the Pirates’ brutal 12–26 start. And it was not going to be the man writing the checks. So, the hammer came down on the guy in the dugout, the one who had been steering this under-resourced ship since 2019. Just like, that, he was out. Gone. “Relieved of duties” after years of leading a team that was never built to win.

But Derek Shelton did not build this roster. He did not make the spending calls. He did not lock the books for another offseason. And yet, when the team nosedived, he was the one sent packing.

Meanwhile, the guy upstairs—the one who’s never given this team a fighting chance—just tightened his tie and talked about “urgency.” Bob Nutting mentioned in an official statement, “We need to act with a sense of urgency,” like urgency was something that just occurred to him in May 2025. Because the biggest free agency splash in team history was back in 2014 when Francisco Liriano was signed with a $39 million deal! Urgency or autopilot?

 

Pirates owner Bob Nutting says his club needs to demonstrated a “sense of urgency.”
The club’s largest free agency signing in history was the deal with Francisco Liriano (3y/$39m) signed in Nov. 2014 pic.twitter.com/5W21rDlDmx

— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) May 8, 2025

The truth is, Nutting has perfected the art of dodging blame. He lets others burn while he keeps his hands clean. In the press release, he praised the outgoing manager’s character, then flipped the narrative to suggest change was overdue. And with that, he tossed Shelton under the bus with a smile.

But this story isn’t just about the removal. It’s about power, perception, and a long-standing culture of doing less while expecting more. And the fans? They’ve seen this movie before. The faces change, but the outcome never does. Because the root of the problem is still sitting in the owner’s box, pretending he’s not the reason it’s all crumbling.

Shelton’s firing could look like accountability on the surface, however, the numbers tell a distinctive story. Over parts of six seasons, Shelton posted a 306–440 record, but we can not forget—he was handed a roster that ranked no better than 26th in Opening Day payroll during his entire tenure. Twice, he endured 100-loss seasons. And yet, despite the lack of resources, he managed to steer the Pirates to back-to-back 76-win seasons before the wheels fell off this year. He didn’t quit on this team—they quit on building one.

Now, replacing him is Don Kelly, a former utility star and local fan favorite who has been the bench coach since 2019. Kelly is likable, respected and deeply tied to the city. However, time to be real, this is not a radical transformation. This is a continuity hire dressed up as a transformation. If Shelton was a scapegoat, Kelly is the band-aid. He could “bleed black and gold”, as Nutting said, however, bleeding loyalty does not fix broken leadership from the top. This move is not related to solving the issue—it is related to distracting from it.

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