Dennis Eckersley: ‘Pathetic’ Pittsburgh Pirates are a ‘hodgepodge of nothingness’

Dennis Eckersley thinks the Pittsburgh Pirates stink, and he wants the world to know.

The MLB Hall of Famer and Red Sox broadcaster was disgusted by the anemic lineup the Pirates put out against Boston on Tuesday, and he went on a rant about the team in the middle of the game. 

“You talk about a no-name lineup. There’s no team like this. I’d love to see some of the service time when you add it all up. It’s not much,” Eckersley said. “We just came from Kansas City, seeing all of those young kids. This is different, though. Doesn’t it seem different? … This is a hodgepodge of nothingness.”

The Red Sox topped the Pirates 5-3 on Tuesday and 8-3 on Wednesday. Pittsburgh (45-72) has lost six straight games and 10 of its last 12. 

The Pirates have been one of the lowest-spending teams in baseball since owner Bob Nutting took over the organization in 2007. Since then, they’ve made the playoffs only three times. 

Dennis Eckersley on the Pirates (roster construction, payroll, etc):

“You talk about a no-name lineup. There’s no team like this.”

“This is a hodgepodge of nothingness.”

“It’s ridiculous. It really is. Pathetic.” pic.twitter.com/qwPBnmkDTD

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 17, 2022

Pittsburgh ranks third to last in Major League Baseball with a $65.8 million payroll — less than half the MLB average of $148.2 million. The only teams below them are the Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox have the sixth highest in the league at $207.8 million, while the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees rank in the top three with payrolls north of $250 million. 

“It’s ridiculous, it really is,” Eckersley added. “It’s pathetic.”

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds was asked Wednesday by reporters what he thought of Eckerlsey’s comments. 

“I couldn’t give any less of a crap what that guy has to say,” Reynolds said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Reynolds is the only above-average hitter on the Pirates. His 125 OPS-plus — a metric that takes on-base plus slugging and adjusts it to the rest of the league — is the only one on the entire Pirates roster above the MLB average of 100.