Who owns the Pittsburgh Pirates? Bob Nutting, explained

Bob Nutting has been the principal owner and control person of the Pittsburgh Pirates since January 12, 2007, representing the Nutting family’s majority stake through Pittsburgh Baseball Inc. The club plays at PNC Park in the National League Central. What sets this ownership apart is a permanent payroll model among baseball’s lowest, paired with a relationship with Pittsburgh fans marked by organized, vocal protest.

🏟️ Ownership at a glance

Principal owner	Robert ‘Bob’ Nutting
Controlling group	Nutting Family
Current group since	1996
Latest valuation	$1.62B

Who is Bob Nutting

Robert ‘Bob’ Nutting was born March 29, 1962, in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the fourth generation of a newspaper family. His wealth originates not from baseball but from Ogden Newspapers Inc., a regional publisher founded by his great-grandfather H.C. Ogden that operates roughly 40 daily newspapers across 12 states. That media business, along with resort and timber holdings tied to West Virginia, is where the family’s capital came from.

Nutting joined the Pirates’ board in 2002 representing his family’s growing stake. After the Nuttings became the largest shareholders in 2005, Nutting assumed formal control as principal owner on January 12, 2007, becoming the sixth principal owner in modern franchise history.

How they bought the team

The Nutting-led group entered baseball in 1996 as part of an investor consortium headed by Kevin McClatchy, though the exact purchase price was never made public. The family gradually increased its stake, became majority shareholders in 2005, and Bob Nutting took formal control in 2007. McClatchy, the original CEO and partner, sold his final stake in January 2009. A broad group of minority local partners inherited from Pittsburgh Associates remains undisclosed.

Year	Buyer	Amount
1996	Group of investors led by Kevin McClatchy (with the Nutting family among the partners)	—
2005	Nutting Family	—
2007	Bob Nutting	—

What else they own

The Nutting family’s primary asset is Ogden Newspapers Inc., which operates roughly 40 daily newspapers in 12 states plus niche magazines. In 2021, the family expanded its media empire by acquiring Swift Communications. The family owned Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort in Pennsylvania for decades; they sold both to Vail Resorts in December 2021 for $118 million. The Nuttings also hold a stake in SportsNet Pittsburgh and maintain real estate and timber interests in West Virginia.

Where the games air

The Pirates are among baseball’s few clubs that own their broadcast channel. Games air on SportsNet Pittsburgh, a regional network the Pirates acquired a stake in on December 13, 2023, and now operate jointly with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ownership is split between Fenway Sports Group (via the Penguins) and Bob Nutting (via the Pirates), though the exact percentages were never disclosed. NESN handles daily operations. Because of this arrangement, the Pirates were unaffected by the 2024 FanDuel Sports Network collapse and are not among the 14 clubs whose broadcasts MLB produces in 2026.

Facts worth knowing

The chants of ‘Sell the Team’ became routine at PNC Park: they have erupted even in completely sold-out games, and one fan even painted the slogan as graffiti on the stadium itself.
The protest spilled beyond baseball: chants against Nutting appeared at a local concert and even an open microphone at the US Open captured a fan shouting for him to sell the team. There is an organized fan movement with its own website, ourteamnothis.com.
The harshest contrast: the Pirates have in Paul Skenes the most dominant pitcher of his generation and yet the payroll remains at the bottom of MLB. In 2025 they spent $86.46 million, ranked 26th of 30, more than $20 million below divisional rival Milwaukee, and for 2026 journalist Jason Mackey’s forecast was to stay around $90 million without crossing an undisclosed sum.
Accounting irony: despite being 28th in franchise value, the Pirates reported $48 million in operating income in 2025, more than the Braves ($27 million) and far more than the Phillies, who lost $52 million. Making money does not depend on winning games.
Forbes raised the club’s value 20% in 2026, to $1.62 billion: Nutting has multiplied his investment without winning a World Series since 1979.
Nutting owns newspapers and at the same time is the most criticized figure by Pittsburgh’s sports press, a curious tension for the CEO of a chain of 40 newspapers.

Where they stand among the 30 owners

List	Rank
By franchise value	#28 de 30
By years in charge	#9 de 30

Amounts are nominal and not adjusted for inflation: comparing a decades-old purchase price with today’s valuation overstates the real gain.

Among baseball’s 30 owners, Nutting ranks 28th in franchise valuation at $1.62 billion, yet ninth in tenure—he has controlled the club for 30 years. Forbes valued the Pirates 20% higher in 2026 than the prior year, meaning Nutting has multiplied his investment despite no World Series since 1979. The paradox is sharp: the club reported $48 million in operating income in 2025, outearning the Braves and vastly outpacing the Phillies’ $52 million loss. In baseball, profit and wins are not the same equation.