Day two of the Winter Meetings held in the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, is in action today. Monday was a slow day for the Pirates. They did not make any signings but there were several players that the club has interest in. You can read all the reports from Day one here.
Also, Thursday at 10 am is the Rule 5 draft. The Pirates have until Wednesday to clear a spot on the roster if they want to use their pick in the draft. The roster is currently at 40, and the Bucs will pick eighth in the draft. For a complete list of all the eligible players you can read here.
Be sure to check back to this page daily, as I’ll continue to post on rumors on the Pirates front. Also, check the main page as well, I’ll post any signings or moves the Pirates do make.
- There have been several reports saying that the Pirates have signed outfielder Nate McLouth and infielder Wilson Betemit. The Pirates have not yet announced anything official.
Jim Bowden of ESPN XM Radio followed that up with despite the signings of those two, they are still in serious pursuit of first baseman Derrek Lee. Lee has until midnight on Wednesday to either accept or reject arbitration.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Pirates are interested in left-hander Erik Bedard.
Bedard, 32, went 5-9 with a 3.62 ERA over 24 starts with the Boston Red Sox in 2011. He walked 48 batters while striking out 125 over 129.1 innigns. Over parts of eight seasons in the Majors, Bedard has a career 3.70 ERA.
- The Pirates are close to deals with infielder Wilson Betemit and outfielder Nate McLouth, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review.
On Monday, it was reported that the Pirates were looking at a contingency plan at third base in case Pedro Alvarez does not produce in 2012. The job at third is expected to be Alvarez’s, but Betemit would provide a backup plan, as well as an utility infielder. Betemit plays primarily at third, but can also play first base, second and the corner outfield.
Betemit, 30, .285 with 40 runs, 22 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 46 RBI over 97 games combined with Kansas City and Detroit in 2011.
It was reported yesterday that the Pirates were interested in outfielder Nate McLouth. Jenifer Langosh of MLB.com reports that the Bucs are likely give Alex Presley the first chance as the starter in left field. McLouth would most likely be used as the fourth outfielder. The club doesn’t believe that prospect Gorkys Hernandez is quite ready. McLouth deal is reported to be for one-year. The former bucco finished the 2011 season with a .298 avg, 27 runs, 12 doubles, six triples, four home runs, 20 RBI and nine stolen bases in 52 games with the Atlanta Braves.
- Troy Reneck of the Denver Post reports that the Pirates are one of two teams interested in right-hander Aaron Cook. The other team includes the San Diego Padres.
Cook, 32, went 3-10 with a 6.03 ERA over 18 games (17 starts) with the Colorado Rockies in 2011. He pitched just 97.0 innings. Cook has spent his entire career in Colorado, making his Major League debut in 2002. Cook has a career 4.53 ERA.
- Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reports that the Pirates are one of three teams that will meet with the agent of left-hander Jeff Francis sometime this week. The other two teams include the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners.
Yesterday there was conflicting reports on whether the Pirates were indeed interested in Francis. He went 6-16 with a 4.82 ERA over 31 starts with the Kansas City Royals in 2011. He walked 39 batters while striking out 91 over 183 innings. Over parts of seven seasons in the Majors, Francis has posted a 4.78 ERA.
Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports
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