There’s No Easy Way to Fix Major League Baseball’s Wealth Gap
Frustrated fans want small-market owners to spend more, but larger economic forces are at play.
Illustration: Hunter French for Bloomberg Businessweek
Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates was emblematic of the franchise. Ace starter Paul Skenes struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings and left the game with a lead—only for the team to be undone by sloppy fielding and poor relief pitching in a walk-off loss to the Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Skenes, 22, is the most exciting young pitcher in the game. The beefy right-hander, last season’s Rookie of the Year in the National League, has an electric fastball, a devastating sinker and a celebrity girlfriend in gymnast-influencer Livvy Dunne.
Unfortunately for Bucs fans, the joy of Skenes is undercut by the knowledge that he’s toiling for a mediocre team. The Pirates enter 2025 on a streak of six straight losing seasons, with no real reason to believe this year will be different. Baseball Prospectus projects the team will go 75-87, second from the bottom in its division. Last fall, as the Pirates were wrapping up another desultory campaign, ESPN talking head and Pennsylvania native Pat McAfee referred to Skenes on air as “the Bugatti in the trailer park.”