"The Pirates have not formally withdrawn from talks with recently released closer Matt Capps, but they have reached the point where they are focused elsewhere.

The team did negotiate with Capps and agent Paul Kinzer over the past few days, but Capps now has two offers greater than the Pirates' best -- believed to be in the range of $2.5 million-$3 million -- from the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals. He is expected to choose between those two teams before Christmas."