February 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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No starting positions will be up for grabs when the Pirates open spring training camp in two and a half weeks, but third baseman Pedro Alvarez and left fielder Alex Presley still must prove they can hang on to everyday jobs. During an interview Thursday on TribLive Radio, manager Clint Hurdle rattled off his starters and noted that Alvarez and Presley "will get the first shot" at their respective positions. This offseason, the Pirates signed two experienced free agents — corner infielder Casey McGehee and outfielder Nate McLouth — who could step in if either Presley or Alvarez falters. McGehee, 29, was signed primarily to platoon with Garrett Jones at first base. However, McGehee has"
January 31
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Tony Sanchez, the Pirates' top catcher prospect, again got into hot water with the team when he sustained a broken jaw in a bar brawl earlier this offseason. Sources told the Tribune-Review the fight happened about three months ago while Sanchez, 23, was participating in the Florida Instructional League. No police charges were filed. Sanchez did not return a phone call and text messages from the Tribune-Review. As a policy, Pirates management does not comment even in general terms about player misconduct and discipline. When asked specifically about Sanchez's incident, assistant general manager Kyle Stark, who oversees player development, said, "Consistent with our approach in off-field"
January 18
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates on Tuesday locked up right-hander Jeff Karstens and reliever Evan Meek to one-year contracts. However, infielders Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee are headed toward arbitration after failing to come to terms. Karstens signed for $3.1 million, nearly tripling his salary from last year. Meek will get $875,000 in base pay plus a $25,000 bonus if he pitches 50 innings in the majors this season. The Pirates and the agents for Jones and McGehee on Tuesday exchanged salary figures. McGehee asked for $2.725 million, and the Pirates offered $2.35 million. Jones asked for $2.5 million, and the Pirates offered $2.25 million."
January 15
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Five weeks from today, Clint Hurdle officially will begin his second season as Pirates manager when pitchers and catchers hold their first spring training workout at Pirate City. Last year, the Pirates were atop of the National League Central standings on July 25 but finished 19-43 and in fourth place. Hurdle knows success rarely happens quickly in the major leagues and is difficult to maintain over the course of a 162-game season. When he managed the Colorado Rockies, it took him five full seasons to post a winning record and get his team into the playoffs. During the Pirates' minicamp last week, Hurdle sat down with Tribune-Review beat writer Rob Biertempfel and offered early insight"
January 13
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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There were times this offseason when Garrett Jones wondered whether he had played his final game with the Pirates. Jones batted just .243 last season, his lowest average in three years with the team. He played in 10 fewer games, got 169 fewer at-bats and hit five fewer homers than he did in 2010. And, what's worse, Jones is 30 years old and arbitration-eligible, a combination that usually forces a budget-minded team's front office to make hard choices. On Dec. 12, Jones nervously waited to hear whether the Pirates would tender him an offer or cut him loose. Jones didn't know which way it would go until shortly before the midnight deadline, when general manager Neal Huntington called to say"
January 12
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Although he will be a bit behind the rest of the pitching staff when spring training begins next month, Pirates right-hander Charlie Morton still hopes to be ready by Opening Day. Morton had surgery in October to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. He began soft- and long-tossing in December and this week is doing similar light workouts at the team's voluntary, five-day minicamp. "Everything I do is done on the side of caution," Morton said. "But I think I can get back on time." Morton will resume workouts at Pirate City on Feb. 1, about three weeks before pitchers and catchers report for the official start of spring training."
January 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates on Wednesday signed right-hander Logan Kensing to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Kensing, 29, pitched last season for the New York Yankees' Triple-A affiliate after missing all of 2010 due to elbow surgery. In 2008, he made a career-high 48 relief outings and went 4-1 with a 4.23 ERA for the Florida Marlins."
January 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates and free-agent pitcher Paul Maholm have had discussions, but a team source confirmed Tuesday that his return to Pittsburgh is highly unlikely. Management continues to seek to add to its rotation, but any additions probably will come from nonroster invitees or means other than a high-profile free agent. The rotation currently is made up of Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, James McDonald, Charlie Morton and recently signed Erik Bedard. The depth tails off from there, though, and Morton's status is unclear coming off offseason hip surgery. Maholm has consistently maintained his openness to staying with the Pirates, who made him a first-round draft pick in 2003, and that remains the"
January 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Even before he became a YouTube sensation, Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes was on the Pirates' radar. "He's an interesting player whom we've tracked for a number of years," general manager Neal Huntington said. In a few days, Cespedes, who defected last year, will establish residency in the Dominican Republic. Major League Baseball then can declare him a free agent and set in motion what likely will be a record-setting bidding war. Cespedes, 26, has prodigious power and last year broke Cuba's single-season home run record. The speedy center fielder also flashed his defensive skills, arm and linebacker-type physique in a 20-minute video called "The Showcase" that drew thousands of hits on"
January 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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It happened on July 19, a bright, shining moment for the Pirates when all of life's joys and possibilities seemed within reach. After dealing Cincinnati back-to-back shutouts, this model of losing consistency led the National League Central by a half-game, seven games above .500. The pitching, brilliant beyond any reasonable expectation, brought the Pirates here. And it was the pitching that eventually would take them away from it -- the hitting was a lost cause from Day 1. The Pirates hit the All-Star break with a 3.44 team ERA. Then came fatigue, injuries, familiarity and the leveling-off process of a 162-game season. With a 4.78 ERA after the break, the third-highest increase in Major"
December 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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This offseason wasn't the first time Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan has heard his name come up in trade rumors. By the time his name surfaced a few weeks ago in advance of the winter meetings as a possible addition to the Boston Red Sox, Hanrahan was more than accustomed to hearing — and paying little mind to - such talk. "It's nothing new, been through it before," he said. "It's nice seeing your name, but I enjoy Pittsburgh, I like it here and I want to be here for a while. It's not like I was sitting there looking at trade rumors thinking, 'This team's looking for a closer, this team's looking for a closer.' It's always nice to hear that someone likes you, but I wasn't expecting anything"
December 18
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Asked by a fan Saturday at PirateFest why he opted to decline Ronny Cedeno's $3 million option and sign Clint Barmes to a two-year, $10.5 million deal, general manager Neal Huntington said Barmes was a more complete player. Clint Hurdle gave a bolder answer: The manager told fans he was "passionate" about the Pirates making a change at shortstop. Hurdle likened it to what happens when he and his wife go out to eat. If he asks her at the end of the meal how it was and she says it was OK, they don't return to that restaurant. "At the end of the year, Ronny was OK," Hurdle said. "I expect more out of my shortstop than Ronny could bring.""
December 17
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Fans made it clear Friday night at PirateFest that they want All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen to be with the team a long time. During an hour-long Q&A session with president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington, several season-ticket holders asked -- if McCutchen will get a multi-year contract. One fan practically shouted into the microphone that manager Clint Hurdle and second baseman Neil Walker also get long-term deals. "Hurdle, Walker and McCutchen are important parts of our future, and we're going to try to keep them here," Coonelly said. Hurdle already is signed through the 2013 season. The Pirates have approached McCutchen and Walker about new contracts, but"
December 17
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates insist their faith in Pedro Alvarez was not shaken by the young third baseman's epic struggles at the plate last season. "Pedro is still a big part of our plans for next year and beyond," general manager Neal Huntington said Friday at the team's annual hot stove lunch. "He's not the first player, nor will he be the last, to have a tough sophomore season." There's no doubt the Pirates need a bounceback by Alvarez. He hit .191 with a .561 OPS and missed time due to a quad injury. With their only power threat hobbled and ineffective, the Pirates ranked 14th in the league in runs scored. "Towards the end of the year, I was starting to feel a little better at the plate, seeing the"
December 16
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Pirates manager Clint Hurdle helped raise tens of thousands of dollars this year for the Prader-Willi Syndrome program at The Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill, helping to fund an exercise room and other expansions. On Thursday, Hurdle was repaid ... with hugs. The Pirates Winter Caravan stopped at the century-old pediatric care facility to mark the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the workout room. One patient walked down the hallway excitedly asking, "Where's the coach?" When he saw Hurdle, the boy smiled and ran into his arms. Later, Hurdle's voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of his 9-year-old daughter, Maddie, who has PWS and will start going to The Children's Institute early next"
December 16
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Dejan Kovacevic
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The Pirates are fresh off a Winter Meetings that was at once remarkably busy and remarkably uneventful, making a half-dozen moves while barely making any waves. They're good like that. No one outworks Neal Huntington and his staff, but the end result of weeks of sweat can be Pedro Ciriaco sneaking through waivers. It all has a hurry-up-and-wait feel to it. For years now, actually. And anyone dreaming that the franchise isn't still waiting on that perpetually far-flung future, try penciling in this Opening Day lineup for 2012: 1. Alex Presley, RF 2. Jose Tabata, LF 3. Andrew McCutchen, CF 4. Neil Walker, 2B 5. Casey McGehee, 1B 6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B 7. Clint Barmes, SS 8. Rod Barajas, C 9."
December 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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As a one-time Chicago Cubs prospect, Casey McGehee found his path to the major leagues blocked by Aramis Ramirez. On Monday, McGehee's future was once again determined by the veteran slugger. Hours after agreeing with Ramirez on a three-year, $36 million contract to play third base for them moving forward, the Milwaukee Brewers traded McGehee to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed reliever Jose Veras. The trade ends a three-year run with the Brewers that saw McGehee rise from waiver-wire pickup at the end of 2008, to rookie of the year candidacy in 2009, to team most valuable player honors in 2010 before a miserable 2011 paved the way for Monday's trade."
December 12
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnsit Dejan Kovacevic
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It's a shame that Ryan Braun, whose slugging just led Milwaukee to a division title then to a National League MVP honor, recently tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. That's what ESPN reported Saturday, and that's a lock to draw the mandatory 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball. Even if Braun's claim of innocence is proven true, a ton of public trust has been lost all over again, in the sport and its players. This wasn't some middle reliever. This was the MVP. But that's exactly why we shouldn't lose full perspective here. At least baseball had the systems in place to make this happen, having long ago passed the other North American professional sports in its"
December 11
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Early on the second day of last week's winter meetings in Dallas, Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria traversed the long, crowded lobby of the Hilton Anatole. Loria's gait was brisk, but not so quick that he would outrace the flock of minicams on his trail. Loria smiled as he walked. He could have crossed the hotel on one of the upper floors and avoided the crush of the lobby, packed with reporters and front office executives from every major league team. But he didn't want to do that. Loria wanted to put on a show. Why wouldn't he? Next season, the Marlins will christen their new, $515 million stadium with a flashier lineup. Barely two years after being rebuked by MLB and the players' union"
December 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates ran out of patience with Ross Ohlendorf, releasing the right-hander early Thursday morning. Ohlendorf, a fourth-round pick in 2004, came to the Pirates in 2008 as part of a six-player trade with the New York Yankees. In 2009, he went 11-10 with a 3.92 ERA in 29 starts. However, Ohlendorf went 2-14 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP over the past two seasons while being hampered by injuries to his lower back and shoulder. "I knew chances were I wasn't coming back, but I was really hoping they wouldn't release me. I really like Pittsburgh and was looking forward to being with that group," Ohlendorf said. "This past year was really tough, but I still feel like I have the ability to"
December 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Pirates have signed free-agent outfielder Nate McLouth to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. They are expected to make the official announcement this afternoon at the Winter Meetings. McLouth got a major league deal, so the Pirates must clear a spot on their 40-man roster."