Pirates Trade Rumors

"Others teams have called the Pirates to inquire about trading for outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, but management is not prepared to move either -- or any primary contributor -- until it rules out contending in 2008. Management is known, however, to be looking at acquisitions through lower-profile trades or waiver claims, with three openings on the 40-man roster."

"The Rays may get RHP Evan Meek back in their system after the Pirates designated him for assignment Sunday. Pittsburgh selected Meek, who turns 25 next week, from Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft in December. He made nine appearances for the Pirates, posting a 6.92 ERA in 13 innings as he walked 12 and struck out seven. Another team could claim Meek off waivers and would have to keep him in the majors the rest of the season or offer him back to the Rays, or the Pirates could work out a trade with the Rays that would allow them to retain Meek and send him to the minors."

"The Pirates are not necessarily through with reliever Evan Meek. Although there are plenty of unusual circumstances related to Rule 5 draft picks, there is a palpable feeling among management that he could remain in the system, provided a few elements play out. When a Rule 5 claim is designated for assignment, as Meek was yesterday morning, he must clear 48-hour waivers. If that happens in this case, the Pirates can offer Meek back to Tampa Bay for half the original claiming price of $50,000 or work out a trade to keep him. The latter scenario sounded most likely yesterday."

"Well, take an early look at the five players known to have been most discussed around the time of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings in December: • Xavier Nady, shopped all winter, is batting .327 with four home runs and 23 RBIs, ranking second in the National League in the latter."

"Church has excelled, but Nady has been the topic of trade speculation for months. Both Mets General Manager Omar Minaya and Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington declined to comment on the possibility of a trade."

"Management met shortly after Morris' latest implosion, six runs over 1 2/3 innings that led to an 8-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park, and two options were believed to have been laid out: 1. Move Morris to the bullpen and replace him in the rotation with reliever Phil Dumatrait. 2. Release Morris, even though it would mean eating the remainder of his $10,037,283 salary, as well as the $1 million buyout of his 2009 option, all of it guaranteed. That would be slightly more than $10 million."

"After five straight disastrous outings, Morris (0-4) is forcing management to make a hard decision. The Pirates have three options, none very palatable. They could hang tough with Morris in the rotation, and hope he soon finds a solution to his troubles. They could release Morris and eat $11,037,283 in salary, including a $1 million buyout for 2009. "

"The Pirates will not rule out buying out the contract of starter Matt Morris or any other player if circumstances warrant, team president Frank Coonelly said yesterday, but he added that this is not the current focus."

"Are the Pirates still looking to pursue the longer-term deal with LaRoche or could we see him traded instead of Jason Bay or Xavier Nady, who are both performing better?"

"The Pirates' options with Matt Morris all are plenty unattractive. Buy him out? That would prevent further scenes like the four-inning, eight-run meltdown that marked the 10-4 loss to the Florida Marlins last night at PNC Park, but it also would require writing a check for roughly $10 million with zero return."

"Matt Capps also got a modest extension, also after two full seasons. Most of the Pirates’ younger players have a year or two of service time. The most likely candidates for the kind of approach Tampa Bay took with Longoria would be Andrew McCutcheon and Steve Pearce."

"Foremost was that Gorzelanny has less than two years of major-league service time, so he will not be eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2009 season. That means the team can pay him close to minimum wage until then and has little incentive to lock him up now."

"The next time I hear LaRoche being firmly discussed as a possible trade candidate will be the first. Sure, he and anyone can go, even those signed to long-term contracts."

"The Pirates and Adam LaRoche have reached an impasse in discussions aimed at a long-term contract, and it might be insurmountable."

"The Pirates are hoping Bay can climb back to 2004-06 form and, in turn, provide the greatest possible net of prospects if dealt. But, because of other teams' wariness, activity on this front might not materialize until close to the July deadline."

"But the most surprising move of the spring is expected today, when management, according to multiple sources, will buy out reliever Byung-Hyun Kim for $300,000."

"Kim has a one-year, major-league contract that calls for $850,000 in base pay, plus as much as $1.15 million in performance bonuses. But the contract is not guaranteed, and the Pirates can buy out Kim for $300,000 by 2 p.m. Wednesday. It is believed they already have had internal discussions to that effect."

"The Blue Jays were described as "aggressive" by several scouts in their attempts to trade Reed Johnson. Though they crave a right-handed hitting complement to Ryan Church, the Mets have been mild at best in their interest. It is possible the Mets also want the righty hitter to be able to play first. But a player who fits that description, the available Xavier Nady of the Pirates, also has drawn almost no interest from the Mets."

"At the moment, the Pirates' only open talks regarding a long-term contract are with Adam LaRoche. The book has not been closed permanently on Matt Capps, but those fell apart just as contact was initiated with Snell earlier this month, and no revival is seen until after the coming season."

"Ian Snell might be about to sign at least a three-year contract with the Pirates. Negotiations seemed on the verge of collapse a few days ago, but the Pirates and Snell's agent, Joe Sroba, have since made much progress."

"Zach Duke got a pay cut and Ian Snell did not get the long-term deal he wanted Monday, when the Pirates handed out contracts to 28 players... The Pirates offered Snell a multiyear contract Friday, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal over the weekend. Talks likely will continue, though, as a source close to the Pirates said the offer remains on the table."

"The New York Mets, in need of a corner outfielder after learning they will be without Moises Alou for two months because of hernia surgery, have contacted the Pirates to inquire about Xavier Nady, a team source said yesterday. But there is no indication anything substantive is afoot or even likely."

"The Pirates have formally extended a long-term contract offer to starter Ian Snell, a source close to the matter said last night."

"Minaya ruled out pursuing Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, who are still looking for work...But he did not dismiss the possibility of a trade. “We’ve already identified teams with outfield situations that have surpluses, and we’ll keep an eye on those,” Minaya said. He did not elaborate on who those teams are, but the Tigers, the Cubs, the Rangers and the Pirates would qualify. The Pirates have Xavier Nady, whom the Mets traded to Pittsburgh in 2006 as part of the deal for pitcher Oliver Pérez."

"The Pirates have given up on signing one of their young pitchers, closer Matt Capps, to a long-term contract, but they are about to try for another one: Ian Snell."

"The Pirates still would like to sign Matt Capps to a multi-year contract and at least buy out his arbitration eligibility."

"Jason Bay will report to spring training today, and he plans to do so with no further complaints about the Pirates' few roster moves this offseason... The Pirates will not rule out trading Bay or any player, but each of the team's top two officials were adamant that his future with the franchise will not be influenced by those remarks."

"GM Kevin Towers said he will continue to explore trade options for a corner outfielder. The Padres have asked about three right-handed hitters: Pittsburgh's Xavier Nady and Jason Bay and the Chicago Cubs' Matt Murton. Triple-A catcher Nick Hundley could be a trade chip."

"The most likely player to be traded is outfielder Xavier Nady. Management is eager to add prospects, and its best chip -- with Jason Bay out of the equation until his value increases -- is to move one of its many outfielders. San Diego still is seeking a corner outfielder and likes Nady, but the Padres and Pirates have found little common ground toward a trade so far."

"The Pirates are one of three teams scouting former Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon in the Dominican Republic, but there was no indication yesterday that their interest extended beyond window-shopping."

"Huntington said the team is not currently negotiating with the agents for other players, such as Adam LaRoche or Matt Capps. But Huntington indicated that likely will change once the arbitration hearings period wraps up later this month."

"Anyway, as mentioned briefly in the piece linked two paragraphs up, yes, the Pirates do hope to acquire a veteran backup catcher before the season. In fact, their intent was to continue pursuing catching depth even if they had signed Bako, perhaps near the end of spring training when teams are forced to cut rosters."

" Seemingly, the most appealing option left for the Pirates is Chacon. However, he is reportedly seeking $4 million for one year and the Pirates don’t want to go that high."

"The Pirates and Freddy Sanchez are close to agreement on a three-year contract and could have a deal early next week. Such a contract would allow the team and its All-Star second baseman to avoid an arbitration hearing Feb. 11 and, more important, keep Sanchez in Pittsburgh through 2010. "

"The Pirates lost out on Johnny Estrada yesterday, but another free-agent catcher should be added soon. The team is negotiating with Paul Bako, who spent all of last season with Baltimore, on a minor-league contract that would include an invitation to spring training."

"Xavier Nady is unfazed when he hears rumors that the Pirates might soon trade him. Pick up and move to another team on short notice? Nady can handle that. It's nothing compared to what he went through in late October, when Nady and his wife fled their home, knowing it might be a smoldering ruin when they returned. "

"After Shoppach spun 161 at-bats into gold in 2007, several teams asked for him when General Manager Mark Shapiro engaged in trade talks following the Indians' run to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. His name surfaced in rumored deals for Florida third baseman Miguel Cabrera and Pittsburgh left fielder Jason Bay."

"The Pirates hope to lock up Freddy Sanchez with a multiyear contract before the second baseman's Feb. 11 arbitration hearing. The team has offered Sanchez, 30, a deal for two years plus an option for a third."

"Nady’s name has been consistently linked to San Diego all winter. The Padres drafted him in the second round in 2000 following his All-America career at the University of California then traded him to the New York Mets after the 2005 season."

"Huntington could deal veterans -- such as Jason Bay, Xavier Nady or Jack Wilson -- to restock the minors. But it won't be easy, because teams are more hesitant than ever to part with their top prospects."

"One reason that continuing discussions between the Pirates and reliever Shawn Chacon have not amounted to much: There are those on the Pirates' end who feel he is not worth anything close to his asking price, thought to be a salary in the $4 million range... According to one informed source, Cleveland was willing to include top third-base prospect Andy Marte in at least one phase of its ill-fated traded talks with the Pirates regarding Jason Bay in early December."

"Faced with the possibility of a 16th straight losing season, left fielder Jason Bay wonders why there was no player shakeup... Bay said he is 'a little bit surprised' to still be with the Pirates."

"Jason Bay clearly felt as if he had no choice but to speak up. So, he did. After a few days of ruminating with family, the Pirates' All-Star left fielder yesterday publicly expressed his disappointment with management -- albeit stopping well short of pointed criticism -- for its lack of roster moves this offseason... Bay is plenty aware that the Pirates tried to trade him, just as he is aware that his backward-step 2007 -- .247 average, 21 home runs -- lowered his value and rendered that difficult... The Pirates and San Diego have been in touch this week regarding the Padres' continued interest in Nady, but no deal seems imminent."

"The Pirates last night offered second baseman Freddy Sanchez a multiyear contract, team president Frank Coonelly said."

"Bill Bavasi doesn't know if the Baltimore Orioles will trade left-handed starter Erik Bedard before spring training, now less than three weeks away. The Mariners general manager is similarly uncertain about the Pittsburgh Pirates' Ian Snell and even the Twins' Johan Santana. What Bavasi seemed to indicate Thursday was the Mariners have made their final offers on the pitchers they are interested in acquiring in trade, and that those offers may be the best the respective teams will receive from anyone."

"The Pirates and free-agent reliever Shawn Chacon continue to discuss his possible return, a scenario that is looking increasingly logical from each side. From the team's perspective, the greatest roster need is a right-hander who can set up closer Matt Capps, and next on the list is starting depth. Chacon supplied both for the Pirates last season, posting a 3.94 ERA in 64 appearances, including four starts."

"If the Pirates choose to deal Sanchez, they not only will give visual proof that they are willing to make tough decisions, because Freddy is very popular, but they are also sure to get a couple really nice prospects in return."

"While it seems highly unlikely the Pittsburgh Pirates will make any major trades, right-hander Ian Snell has heard his name in plenty of rumors. And he is tired of the talk."

"San Diego general manager Kevin Towers still is looking for a corner outfielder, as he made clear in two interviews Thursday, but there have been no fresh talks between the Padres and Pirates regarding Jason Bay or Xavier Nady."

"Outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever John Grabow yesterday agreed to one-year contracts with the Pirates to avoid arbitration, but second baseman Freddy Sanchez did not. And might not for a while."