Blogs

Joey Votto today was a near-unanimous winner of the NL MVP award. I gave him the top spot on my ballot.

I’ve heard from a couple sources, inside and outside of the team, that left-hander Jorge de la Rosa is atop the Pirates’ free-agent shopping list this winter. De la Rosa, who’ll turn 30 in April, would likely be the No. 1 pitcher in the Pirates’ rotation next season. The Pirates are seeking all sorts of pitching [...]

Clint Hurdle has been in this spot before. Earlier today, he was introduced as the Pirates’ 39th manager during a media confab at PNC Park.

Former manager John Russell could have another job before the Pirates even hire his replacement. According to the Baltimore Sun, Russell on Friday interviewed with the Baltimore Orioles for a spot on manager Buck Showalter’s coaching staff. The Orioles need a bench coach and a third base coach. Those two coaches also could handle the duties [...]

Free agent Justin Duchscherer wants to pitch as a starter, and the Pirates have holes in their rotation. Duchscherer can be had for less than $2 million a year, and the Pirates are a, ahem, value-minded club. A perfect fit! Draw up the contract. Schedule the press conference. Not so fast. The Pirates took a long [...]

Baseball America today listed all 533 minor league free agents — that is, players not on a 40-man roster by Nov. 6 who have at least six years service time while still bound by their first minor league contract. Pirates fans should be sure to look over the list (http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?cat=7) because one or two — [...]

MLB granted first baseman Steve Pearce a fourth minor league option, which means he will go into the 2011 season with one remaining. This year, ankle and knee injuries limited Pearce to just 52 games — 35 with Triple-A Indianapolis, 15 with the Pirates and two in a rehab stint with Class A Bradenton. He had [...]

The Pirates re-signed lefty Justin Thomas to a minor league contract for 2011. This past season, Thomas went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 12 relief outings. Last week, Thomas was among five players outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. First baseman Jeff Clement did not have enough service time to refuse the assignment, so he went [...]

For the second year in a row, lefty Zach Duke had a bumpy second half of the season. Over his final 10 starts this season, Duke went 3-5 with a 6.57 ERA. In 50 2/3 innings, he allowed 70 hits and 19 walks. “There were times I got a little lost within myself, really just [...]