PITTSBURGH — The Winter Meetings kick off on Monday, December 5th, and will run until Wednesday. Agents, General Managers, Media will all gather at the Hilton Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The Pirates shopping list this year has been narrowed done to just a few different positions.
The Pirates have already been aggressive on the free agent market, signing veteran catcher Rod Barajas and shortstop Clint Barmes. The Bucs are looking to fill holes at first base and in the starting rotation. They could also seek upgrades for the bench and bullpen, however, they have plenty of options that could be filled internally if they decide to go that route.
Derrek Lee was offered arbitration and has until Wednesday at midnight to decline or accept the offer. Lee made $8.5 million in 2011. If Lee declines and decides to sign elsewhere, free agent first baseman Carlos Pena or Casey Kotchman could be an option for the Pirates. If the club decides to fill the position internally, they could go with a platoon at first with Garrett Jones and Matt Hague.
Hague has yet to make his Major League debut, but was placed on the 40-man roster in November after posting a .309 avg, 70 runs, 37 doubles, 12 homers and 75 RBI over 145 games with Triple-A Indianapolis. Jones in his career has crushed right-handed pitching and Hague could fill in when a lefty is on the mound. The Pirates also signed minor league free agents Jake Fox and Nick Evans, both of whom have non-roster spring training invites and could fight for a spot on the roster.
The rotation will need one starter, possibility two depending on when right-hander Charlie Morton will be healthy to pitch again. Morton had offseason hip surgery and is expected to be ready in April. The rotation will once again include Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, James McDonald and Morton. On the free agent market, Erick Bedard or Jeff Francis could be an option for Pittsburgh. Brad Lincoln could be given an shot in the rotation. He posted a 4.29 ERA while making eight starts with Pittsburgh in 2011. Chris Leroux, who allowed just three earned runs with 21 strikeouts over five starts (23.2 innings) during winter ball, could be an intriguing option. Leroux has only appeared out of the bullpen in the Majors. Left-hander Jeff Locke saw starts at the Major League level, but will most likely start the season in Triple-A.
The bench and bullpen could be filled internally, as they have a lot of options in these areas. But the Pirates could still seek out upgrades in the free agent market. The ‘pen will become more clear once they decide who to tender contracts to. The Pirates have until December 12th to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Those eligible include: right-handers Jason Grilli, Joel Hanrahan, Karstens, Evan Meek, Morton, Ross Ohlendorf, Chris Resop and Jose Veras and first baseman Garrett Jones.
Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports
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