Nice to see that things are still hopeless.

Wha, no Zips?

And they also acquired Eli Marrero, so apparently he won't be a catcher (where he may actually have value), but an outfielder. BRILLIANT!

No, Marrero goes to the Royals, not the Pirates.

He'll still be an outfielder though, as John Buck should get most of the catching duty.

Sorry... Marrero went to KC, I guess.

Does Allard get to claim Allard as a deduction for tax purposes?

whoops.. I meant "claim Benito"

Good pickup of Marrero, given their needs in OF corners.

Thank God he's injury prone. If he weren't he may challenge young pirate catchers for playing time.

This is the stuff of the pirates' front office that makes an 86 year curse seem short. And to think, when the pirates won ten straight in late June, I had hope.

At this age, I wonder if Benito is a better catcher than Craig Wilson.

horrible, horrible trade. what's worse, I don't see any reason to apologize for nunez - he has great stuff and he struck out a batter an inning while starting at an age-appropriate level this year. this deal also keeps J.R. House at Indianapolis, where he'll repeat a level at which he hit .344/.508 last year. Terrible trade.

What a complete lack of creativity, ambition, and planning by the Pirates. Just disgraceful.

At this point, if I could take a pill that would make me stop being a Pirates fan, I would.

Anybody have any info on Nunez?

Something tells me this trade is not going to be the lead on Sportscenter tonight . . . .

Anybody have any info on Nunez?

From WTM's excellent Pirates scouting report on "Uncle" Leo Nunez :

Nunez has been called "Little Pedro" because he has a slight build and impressive stuff, including a mid-90s fastball that the Pirates think may add velocity as he gets older...He didn't turn 21 until mid-August and clearly has a high ceiling...

Something tells me this trade is not going to be the lead on Sportscenter tonight . . . .

Maybe if Leo Nunez hits on Kobe's wife...

Now if Littlefield could just trade Ian Snell for Darin Erstad, the Pirates would be all set for the 2005 season. Like Nunez, Snell can take a shower in a rifle barrel, and God only knows the Pirates don’t want any freaks like that in the organization. Who cares how hard he throws.

It makes a lot of sense to populate the roster with good citizens like Mondesi, Mesa and Santiago. They provide the kind of veteran leadership the young players like and need. The Pirates also value physical specimens like D. Ward and R. Simon. They just can’t get enough of those guys. Of course, if Littlefield trades Snell for Erstad, he wont be able to bring back Simon. So, that trade might not happen. But, it could. After all, who would have thought he’d trade a rocket launcher like Leo Nunez for a 40 year old catcher known for his hard partying and his steroid use!

Baird has this weird pattern of getting more out of a trade the less he puts in. He's arguably gotten more out of Grimsley, Santiago and that one Rule 5 guy than he did out of Beltran.

Okay, thumbs up on trying to acquiring catching help. Thumbs down on acquiring Benny Santiago (though he could be in a Pirates uniform when he catches his 2,000 game, a rare milestone). Thumbs way down on giving up anything for Santiago, especially a useful part such as Nunez.

It never ceases to amaze me how the front office thinks and acts. They might as well let someone like Keith Osik come back and back up Cota. Nunez is small, but no smaller than Snell, whom the Pirates seem to value (though only as a reliever since small starters don't make it, apparently).

Any odds on the outfielder or 1b I keep hearing Littlefield wants to get with his leftover money?

Any odds on the outfielder or 1b I keep hearing Littlefield wants to get with his leftover money?

Only a true masochist, or a Brewers' fan, would ask this question.

The Red Sox are likely to want to get rid of Doug Mientkiewicz. He'll probably only cost the Pirates Zach Duke. It'll allow them to return Craig Wilson to his natural position of sitting on the bench behind an inferior player.

I have heard that House will be out of the pirates franchise if he doesn't make the team. Is that true?

No, they recently "discovered" that House has one more option left.

I have heard that House will be out of the pirates franchise if he doesn't make the team. Is that true?

He was granted another minor league option, which is the career equivalent to getting Moises Alou's Hand Lotion as a stocking stuffer. He'll be in AAA until his will is broken or he hits poorly enough for the Pirates to like his defense.

The Pirates. Is there anything sadder? Only drowning puppies - and there would have to be a lot of them.

And my impossible dream of having Craig Wilson have catcher eligibility for my fantasy team takes another hit.

The Red Sox are likely to want to get rid of Doug Mientkiewicz. He'll probably only cost the Pirates Zach Duke. It'll allow them to return Craig Wilson to his natural position of sitting on the bench behind an inferior player.

Speaking as a Sox fan, I'd gladly spare you the ignominy of a Mientkiewicz for Duke trade by swinging a deal for Craig Wilson himself. How about Kevin Millar? He could teach those kids how to cowboy up like real winning championship winner type players.

And Craig Wilson's mullet would fit right in on the Red Sox.

Are we non-tendering Daryl Ward?

I hope so. We're going to be bad anyway, so I'd really like to spare myself the "If he shows up to string training in the best shape of his life..." pep talk...

Brian Meadows is the other tender/non-tender Bubble Boy. If you remember Meadows from KC you probably can't believe he's still in the majors, but he's been useful for three years now.

He's only 29. He tossed 51 walk-free innings at AAA Nashville in 2003, a PCL record. He's very pitch-efficient and probably could log more than the 75 IP/year the Pirates have been using him for. In 2004, he had a 46/12 K/UIBB ratio.

Anyway, not walking anyone is the new striking everyone out.