I'm not really defending anybody. The Pirates are small market. Always have been, always will be. Doesn't matter who the owner is.
My expectation is for them to operate in an optimum fashion for a small market team.
That others are stupid enough to equate payroll to trying isn't my problem. Payroll is the comfort blanket of the feeble minded, and that's okay, but there's no logic in "yeah the Pirates did something stupid but at least they tried". People have literally said that about the Penguins. That's the IQ of the people you're aligning yourself with. Doing something stupid isn't trying. It's duping the idiot sector of your consumer base.
And, with that, I'm once again out. Y'all have fun pretending like spending = wins even when the r^2 value between the two is a paltry 0.16. Don't forget, the 4 highest paid players on the Pirates this year are Liriano, Cutch, Niese, and a one-inning relief pitcher.