Huff Signs With Orioles

The Pirates, who were said to be one of a few teams interested in Aubrey Huff, will not be signing the 30-year-old since he has reportedly agreed to terms with the Baltimore Orioles.

The offer is believed to be for three years and $20 million, the newspaper reported.
Huff is expected to take a physical next week in Baltimore. Huff has a .285 career average at Camden Yards and has batted .297 against the Orioles over his seven seasons in the majors. He has more home runs (20) and RBI (63) against Baltimore than against any other team.

No Physical for Gonzo, Suppan to Brewers

Despite an absolute flurry of rumors that Mike Gonzalez was headed to New York in a three team trade throughout Friday and Saturday, Gonzalez tells John Perrotto that he's still a Pirate and there haven't been any moves towards him changing teams yet.

The Internet and radio rumors went as far as to say that Gonzo was in New York to have a physical with the Yankees, a suggestion that Gonzo quickly denied.

"I've been right here with my folks getting ready to enjoy Christmas," Gonzalez said Saturday by phone from Deer Park, Texas in suburban Houston. "I've heard the trade rumors just like everyone else. I don't pay much attention but my buddies tell me about them. But nobody has approached me and said I'm being traded to the Yankees or any other team."

"Gonzo Gate" has spiraled somewhat out of control on the Internet and on the radio, with no one believed to have any actual and factual "inside" information. Understandably a big trade involving the Pirates is a nice Christmas present for Pirate fans, but the overblown reports before anything is announced are beginning to cloud the situation.

In other Pirate-related news, the Brewers have come to terms with Jeff Suppan on a four-year deal. According to published reports the deal is worth 42 million over the length of the contract.

This continues the trend of the Pirates announcing their interest in a popular free agent, only to come up with a sub-par offer and never really be in the race for the player's services. Suppan wanted a four-year deal out of the gate and the Pirates made it known they offered only two years. This deal also opens another door for Shawn Chacon to become the fifth starter for the Pirates, a move that I personally believe is a tremendous mistake on the Pirates behalf.

Braves Back off Maholm

The Atlanta Braves have backed off requesting Paul Maholm in a trade with Mike Gonzalez for first basemen Adam LaRoche. This move has helped the trade talks between the Braves and Pirates once again pick up steam.

The three team deal involving the Pirates, Braves and Yankees has hit a serious snag because the Braves are asking for Castillo and Gonzo from the Pirates so they can then move Gonzo to the Yanks for the Cabrera and Proctor. The Braves would end up with Castillo, Proctor and Cabrera and that seems to be too rich for the Yanks.

The Pirates signed catcher Einar Diaz yesterday, possibly putting an end to Humberto Cota's run with the Pirates.

Gonzo for Melky Fading Fast

The Mike Gonzalez trade talks continue but the possibility of him heading to the New York Yankees may be fading. Apparently the Pirates are quickly losing interest in a trade for Melky Cabrera straight up and are insisting that Scott Proctor be included in any trade talks.

Nothing really new out of the Gonzo talks but any national talk about the Pirates is good national talk.

Bucs Still After Suppan

The Pirates are continuing their quest for Jeff Suppan. They are one of only a few teams who are still showing interest.

Herrera and Kuwata Officially Become Pirates

The Pirates are expected to officially announce the signings of two foreign born pitchers later today. Yuslan Herrera, 25, has signed a three-year deal worth roughly two million dollars. Herrera went 18-7 with a 3.72 ERA in Cuba before defecting in 2004. He will be invited to spring training and could compete for the fifth spot in the Pirates' rotation. To make room for Herrera, the Pirates will have to drop a player from their 40-man roster.

The Pirates have also agreed to terms with Japanese pitcher Masumi Kawata, 38. Kuwata spent the past 21 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. He will turn 39 on April 1, the day before the Pirates' season-opener against Houston. Kawata is one of the top 20 strikeout pitchers in Japanese baseball history.

N.L. Central Round-Up

Here's whats going on around the rest of the NL Central Division:

Chicago Cubs - Signed pitcher Ted Lilly, pitcher Jason Marquis and utility man Daryle Ward within the last week. Lost Juan Pierre to free agency but apparently are keeping centerfield open for top prospect Felix Pie, or a trade for Willy Taveras. Drafted former number one pick Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 Draft, then immediately traded him. Also the Cubs are considering hiring an Asst. General Manager, a position that is not currently occupied in the organization. The Cubs have committed slightly under 300 million dollars this off-season to new players and their new manager, Lou Pinella.Cincinnati Reds - Re-signed reliever David Weathers to a two-year deal. Acquired Josh Hamilton in exchange for cash from the Cubs following the Rule 5 Draft. Ken Griffey Jr. is possibly considering moving from center field to one of the corner spots, if the Reds ask him to. Homer Bailey, the Reds top pitching prospect, will get a shot at the fifth spot in the rotation but it isn't a good one according to manager Jerry Narron.

Houston Astros - Jeff Bagwell, one of the greatest Astros ever, retired this week. Made one of the biggest moves so far this winter acquiring Jason Jennings from the Rockies, but were forced to give up Willy Taveras and two top pitching prospects. Lost Andy Pettitte to the Yankees and could lose Roger Clemens as well. Lost reliever Russ Springer, who signed with the Cardinals. Outfielder Luke Scott appears to be the Astros biggest trading chip with teams like the Tigers chasing the 28 year-old fiercely. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers are considering trading Geoff Jenkins and are pursuing Jeff Suppan. Despite reports of a move to center field, Rickie Weeks will be staying at second base. Have an open interest in Rockies infielder Clint Barmes, but there are contradicting reports on what they are willing to give up and if they really have a serious interest in him.
St. Louis Cardinals - The defending champs re-signed Aaron Miles and non-tendered Rick Ankiel. Outfielder Juan Encarnacion had surgery on his left wrist but is expected to be ready for spring training. Signed Russ Springer away from Astros. Cards are still in the hunt for pitcher Mark Mulder and have interest in Joel Pinerio and Brad Penny, who could be available through trade. Are interested in Jayson Werth, who is a free agent.

Pirates Winter Ball Round-Up

Ryan Doumit has continued his hot hitting this winter with a torrid start to December in the Mexican League.

The 25-year-old backstop has been as consistent a hitter in the Mexican Winter League as there is, hitting .323 since the calendar flipped to December. That figure has been bumped up considerably thanks to his current four-game hitting streak, where he has gone 7-for-15 (.467) with a home run over that span. For the year, Doumit is hitting .292 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 35 games while putting together a respectable .390 on-base percentage for Venados de Mazatlan.

MLB.com updates the rest of the Pirates playing winter ball.

Media roundup

The Post-Gazette reports that Cota and Chacon will be fall-back options. Check the notes section of the article. The Phillies offered Lieber for either Gonzo or Torres -- that's not going to happen, even with DL as our GM. Also, the Indians called about Gonzo, but stopped talking after DL asked for catcher Victor Martinez in return.

The Beaver County Times says that the Diamondbacks have inquired about Gonzo and is offering Chad Tracy. Perrotto also says the Bucs may be interested in signing Joel Pineiro or Jerome Williams.

Broussard Available for Buccos?

With the impending trade of Jose Vidro to the Mariners, playing time should decrease and may even flatly stop for first basemen Ben Broussard, who is considered to now be on the trade block.



Would the Pirates considering trading for Broussard? The avenues to find Mr. McThump have been drying up lately, but Broussard could provide an almost mini-McThump. He doesn't exactly fit the bill, he will be 29 for the entire season and has never clubbed more than 21 homers in a season, but he also hasn't hit less than 16 since 2003. He also hasn't had 500 at-bats in a season. Had he got 500-plus last year, he would have been on pace for 25 bombs.


With the Marniers trading Rafael Soriano to the Braves, the M's could seek bullpen help, which we all know the Pirates are willing and able to move.


On the Mike Gonzalez trade front, this article gives off the belief that Brian Cashman is considering including Melky Cabrera in a trade with the Pirates.

Yanks and D-Backs Calling Buccos?

There is a lot of bad things you can say about the Pirates, but having no trade bait is not one of them. Between Mike Gonzalez, Salomon Torres and the 4 young starting pitchers, the Pirates have been fielding interest from teams across the majors.

The Yankees are calling about Gonzo, Torres and John Grabow, but sources inside the talks say the Yanks don't match up as well with the Pirates as they do with other teams.

The Diamondbacks have inquired about Gonzo and all 4 of the starters but it is not known what they would be offering in return.

Pirates Roundtable

Check out the newest version of the Pirates Roundtable Discussion here. Bucco Wire finally took part in this one. Again, this is a great idea and a very good read for all Pirates fans.

Busiest Day

Today was the Pirates busiest day of the off-season to date. No they didn't sign Eric Gagne, who landed with the Rangers and no they didn't trade for Jason Jennings, who ended up with the Astros. But they did tender contracts to Shawn Chacon and Humberto Cota and they claimed Franquelis Osoria off of waivers from the Dodgers. Busy indeed.

Osoria, a 25-year-old right-hander, split last season between the Dodgers and Class AAA Las Vegas. In Los Angeles, he had a 7.13 ERA in 12 appearances. In the minors, he had a 4.35 ERA in 44 appearances.

Since the Adam LaRoche talks went public and the Pirates made it known that Mike Gonzalez was available for the right price, teams have been stepping up to the plate for the left-hander. The Yankees are interested but reportedly won't offer Melky Cabrera, who is believed to be the most coveted piece of the puzzle from the Pirates view. The Red Sox are also interested and are said to be dangling Coco Crisp.

Jeff Suppan coming to the Bucs? PG Columnist Ron Cook doesn't believe it's real.

An "F" for Littlefield

Today Baseball America Online released their "General Managers Best Tools Survey", taking input from all GM's across baseball. There were 4 major categories, Talent Evaluation, Relationships & Communication, Pure Statistical Instinct and Other GM Duties.

Under each of the major categories, they were minor categories in which a winner was named and other notables were mentioned.

Dave Littlefield, Pirates GM since 2001, was not mentioned as a winner or even a notable in any of the major or minor categories. However, I do believe in the print edition, there was a category that dealt with dealing with Ownership and Littlefield was mentioned as doing well with the Pirates stingy owners.

Pirate News Wrap

If you are looking for good news regarding our Buccos, you might not want to read on.

Today in the Post-Gazette, Dejan is reporting that Pirates have proposed a two-year deal to pitcher Jeff Suppan. This is not the disappointing part. That would be the fact that Suppan is looking for a 4 or 5 year deal and the Pirates do not want to commit money to a pitch beyond 2008, basically putting themselves on the outskirts of this bidding war.

The Pirates are still talking to the Phillies about Jon Lieber.

The Pirates and Red Sox are believed to be the only two teams interested in Masumi Kuwata, a pitcher for the past 21 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's top league. He is 38 and the minor league deal the Pirates are offering might not even be enough to get Kuwata a Visa for the United States.

The Pirates are apparently going to tender Shawn Chacon, possibly the last player I want to see become the fifth starter in 2007, but that is just my opinion.

The Pirates have definitely made offers to two free-agent hitters. One could very well be Trot Nixon, who spent last season with the Red Sox. Ugh.

Not So Fast Humberto

It is widely believed that the Pirates will not be bringing back catcher Humberto Cota for the 2007 season to backup starter Ronny Paulino. However, with the high cost of free agents, the Pirates have switched gears and are re-evaluating their stance.

The Pirates have until midnight Tuesday to tender Cota and avoid having to try and sign him through free agency.

Cota is playing winter ball in his native Mexico and went into the weekend hitting .261 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 36 games for Hermosillo.

3 Moves

Three Moves the Pirates could make within the next week according to various outlets:

1. Trade Damaso Marte to the Phillies for Jon Lieber. This would fulfill DL's need for a right handed starter in the rotation and would come at a relatively cheap price for the Pirates, who have a plethora of late-inning relievers.

2. Trade Jose Castillo. The Pirates have made it known they want an everyday position for Freddy Sanchez, and seeing as though he won the Batting Title in 2006, that is probably not a bad idea. That position could be second base if they choose to move Castillo to the outfield or trade him.

3. Sign Jose Hernandez. The Pirates still need to fill out their bench, Hernandez will come pretty cheap and we all know Hernandez has a fan on the bench in manager Jim Tracy.

McCutchen Makes Another Top Prospect List

Andrew McCutchen, widely deemed the Pirates top prospect, has landed in the top 15 of another major Baseball prospect list.

MLB.com has named McCutchen the 15th best prospect in all of baseball. The following is the excerpt from the website about McCutchen:

2006 stats: [A] .291 BA/ .356 OBP/ .446 SLG [AA] .308 BA/ .379 OBP/ .474 SLG2006 Club: Hickory/Altoona ETA in Majors: 2008 2005 Final Rank: NRHe's done nothing but hit since his debut in the summer of 2005 and he jumped on the fast track with an impressive leap to Double-A at the end of this season. His power has come faster than people expected, too.

Marte to Yanks?

The Pirates and Yankees are reportedly discussing a trade that would send reliever Damaso Marte to New York for outfielder Kevin Thompson. The Yankees bullpen is most likely going to take a hit this off-season and Marte, who is signed through 2008, could relieve some of the pain.

Thompson has just 30 major league at-bats, but has compiled nine hits, three of which are doubles and one home run. He turned 27 this past September.

Spring Training Schedule

The Pirates released their Spring Training schedule. You can find here, thanks to the Herald Today in Bradenton, or here, courtesy of the official site.

Dejan reports here as well, that the prices for Spring Training tickets for the Pirates have gone up.

IN OTHER NEWS: Both the Trib and PG report about Littlefield leaving the winter meetings empty handed. The Beaver County Times reports the same thing, too.