Nutting led the construction of the Pirates' new training academy in the Dominican Republic, which had its grand opening on April 30, 2009.
Pirate City improvements included a new dormitory, clubhouse, staff offices, enhanced training/rehab facilities and a fifth field.
In order to take further advantage of the upgraded facilities, Nutting led the purchase of a Florida State League franchise, the Bradenton Marauders.
[2] The highlight of Nutting's tenure as owner of the Pirates to date has been the three-year period from 2013 to 2015 when Pittsburgh compiled a 280–206 record (.576 winning percentage).
After the Pirates' highly successful 2013 season, Nutting was named Newsmaker of the Year by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
[3] In the article that announced the honor, Craig Davis—president & CEO of VisitPittsburgh—said: "Thanks to Bob Nutting and the Pirates organization, 2013 marked one of the most exciting baseball seasons in decades.
[2] Due to Nutting's perceived tendency to put profits ahead of a competitive product on the field, he is often ranked in both the local press and nationally as one of the worst owners in sports,[4][5] earning the nickname "Bottom-Line Bob".
[11][8] He has been the subject of harsh criticism due to trades the team made in the 2017–2018 offseason, moving pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros, and centerfielder Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in an apparent fire sale.
Following the two trades, Pirates fans launched a petition drive on Change.org demanding Nutting sell the team to someone who spend what was necessary to be competitive.
The Pirates' trades, along with allegations of similar "salary dumps" by the Miami Marlins, led to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to accuse both teams of failing to use revenue sharing funds to improve the team's on-field performance, as required in the collective bargaining agreement.
[13] On February 23, 2018, MLBPA filed a formal grievance with MLB against the Pirates, Marlins, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays over the teams misuse of revenue sharing funds.
"[15] On April 10, 2022, two days before the Pirates home opener, the Post-Gazette published a report based on Pirates financial data (publicly available due to the team's lease with Allegheny County) that showed the team's player payroll was strictly tied to ticket sales and concession stand revenue.