"Manager Clint Hurdle already is lobbying to get Derrek Lee back in a Pirates uniform next season. However, neither Lee nor general manager Neal Huntington would indicate whether that's a possibility.

"I'm not going to close any doors," Lee said Friday. "But it's something I haven't even thought about. I want to get to the offseason first before I start talking about that kind of stuff."

Lee has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with a fractured left wrist, but he could be activated as soon as today.

"I'm just trying to get back on the field," he said. "I'll worry about everything else later."

With 326 career homers, Lee brings much-needed power to the lineup. A 15-year veteran who won a World Series ring in 2003 with the Florida Marlins, Lee also adds experience to the roster.

"Have you seen many teams that have won a lot without having at least one five-year guy in their lineup? I haven't," Hurdle said. "You need somebody who's been tested by fire, who can lend some quiet confidence and a voice of reason to the clubhouse when times are challenging.""