Last week Kevin McClatchy stepped down as the Pittsburgh Pirates' CEO, effective at the end of the 2007 season. It's clear some changes are being made in the organization with the slow phasing out of McClatchy, so the question remains, are more changes in the works? Tracy Ringolsby thinks so: It's true that both Dave Littlefield and Jim Tracy's contracts expire after the 2008 season, meaning that without extensions they'd be lame ducks. When asked about their fate after the McClatchy announcement next week, owner Bob Nutting refused to comment, saying it was a decision to be made after the season. It will probably be left up to whoever replaces McClatchy as CEO, and it will be a good test of what kind of executive the new CEO will be. Ridding the team of Littlefield would be starting off in a new direction. Extending him would just be an affirmation of the status quo.That leaves GM Dave Littlefield as the next target for blame, once McClatchy's successor is in place ...
[...]
It's an organization where ownership has opened the purse strings a little bit, but has largely wasted the money (and playing time) on the likes of Chris Stynes and Raul Mondesi in 2004, Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa and Roberto Hernandez in 2006, and Tony Armas this year. Yes, the same Tony Armas who despite his $3.5 million guarantee is about to be released.
Hat-tip to Honest Wagner.
Previously at FanHouse
Kevin McClatchy Out as Pirates' CEO
The Debriefing: The Biggest Threat to Baseball's Integrity
