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The Pittsburgh Pirates made a head-scratching move by coming to terms with first baseman Lyle Overbay on a one-year, $5 million contract Tuesday afternoon, adding to the pile of mediocrity that currently surrounds first base and right field.

I’ve stated many times before the dire need to stick to the plan and continue to develop young players.  None of the other three signings truly bother me, and neither does this one, but it just doesn’t help much.

In Overbay, the Pirates get a 34-year-old coming off of a season in which he hit .243 with 20 HR and 63 RBI. It was a very down year for Overbay, but the numbers realistically should go up now that he’s out of the American League East.  He also has the benefit of the short porch in right field at PNC Park, but the drawback is that Overbay is on the downside of his career.

The positives are that Overbay makes the Pirates marginally better. He’s an outstanding glove guy. Offensively, assuming you believe Overbay’s numbers will increase slightly, he’s actually a slight upgrade over Garrett Jones. 

Across the board, statistically the two were close to being the same player in 2010. There’s also nothing that makes you believe that Jones will be any better in 2011 than he was last season.

I don’t have a problem as much with signing Overbay as I do with the reasoning. Overbay is a solid pro, but there is no way he should be the team’s everyday first baseman next season.

It just doesn’t fit with the rebuilding process.

As I’ve said before, I have a much better chance of winning the Powerball then the Pirates do of making up nearly 50 games to approach the .500 mark.  Who cares about .500 anyway?  How many wins does Overbay really help this team gain?

Sure he’s likely to be flipped at the deadline for prospects, and I have no problem with that at all. If Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington can turn Overbay into a steal like he did with Octavio Dotel, then great.

The money paid to Overbay could have been used for someone who could have improved the team. 

I didn’t have a problem with the other signings and I still don’t, but now that you shelled out an additional $5 million on a 34-year-old first baseman, the Pirates have spent nearly $12 million on four guys who might help them improve by five to eight games.

That’s not sticking to the plan.

If you were going to shell out $12 million, why not throw $15-$18 million on one guy who can help really improve the team.

If the Nationals can overpay for Jason Werth and get themselves deep in the Zach Grienke negotiations, there is no reason the Pirates shouldn’t be able to do the same.

As far as players not wanting to come to Pittsburgh, I’m done hearing that as well. Most players these days will play anywhere if you offer them enough money.

The big thing that the Overbay signing does is that it moves Jones into a platoon in right field with newly signed Matt Diaz.  That’s fine, Jones isn’t an everyday guy, but it also squeezes out John Bowker and Steve Pearce.

I’m not drinking the Bowker Kool-Aid like most. He’s not an everyday guy, but could help the team given enough spot starts here and there.

Pearce though has shown that he eats up southpaws and should be kept in that part time role in the meantime.  That won’t happen.

The biggest thing though is that it really impacts a Ryan Doumit trade. Huntington has been desperately trying to deal the guy and hasn’t found the right offer. Now, other teams know the Pirates have to move him and the offers will not increase.

One other issue is that the Pirates will likely bat Jones, Overbay and Pedro Alvarez 4-5-6 or 4-5-7 in the batting order.  That’s making it very easy on opposing managers late in the game to neutralize the Pirates offense by bringing in their best left-handed reliever to get three outs.

While it sounds nice to have the Pirates sign a guy who has had a good major league career, this one just doesn’t make too much sense.

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My time in Orlando covering the Winter Meetings is about to end, but it was a very productive trip. I got a bit of everything. From shaking hands with some stars, to meeting some of my peers and some of those I strive to be like—the trip had it all.

The Pirates were a bit active as well.  I mentioned the Scott Olsen deal in my prior column.  Since then, the Pirates inked another starting pitcher in Kevin Correia and also signed outfielder Matt Diaz.

Both were solid baseball moves.

Correia struggled the second half of last season, ending up at 10-10 with a 5.40 ERA.  The season before, he went 12-11 with a 3.90 ERA.  That’s what the Pirates are hoping they get in the right hander.  Either way, Correia should be a slight upgrade.

I’ve been asked by many if Correia and Olsen are the best the Pirates could do? Well, the answer is yes.  It’s a thin pitching market at the moment and it doesn’t make much sense for the Pirates to overpay for arms at the moment.

Sticking to the plan and nurturing some of the talented arms throughout the system makes much more sense right now. The end goal is to try and compete for years, not just to take a run at .500 next season.

In the end, they get two arms in Correia and Olsen for less then they would likely have had to pay Zach Duke—had they tendered him.

That’s such an unreasonable goal anyways.  The Pirates are on the right path, but they would have to make a near 50 game improvement just to approach the .500 mark.  You would have a better chance at winning the Powerball.

Instead, keep letting the young guys develop and try and cut that number in half.  Taking a run at .500 in 2012 is a more realistic goal.  After that, the goal has to be to win.

Right now, the Pirates rotation would look like this: James McDonald, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Correia and the fifth starter will come from the likes of Brad Lincoln, Olsen or a Brian Burres type guy.

The Pirates aren’t done looking for pitching though.  I’ve heard them linked to names like Justin Duchscherer, Aaaron Heilman, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, Kenshin Kawakami and others.  The pair guys I’d like them to sign are Duchscherer and Accardo.  It would be taking a chance on an injury prone guy, but if healthy both are very talented.

As far as Diaz, it’s a smart move.  The guy handles lefties very well and the Pirates left hand hitters don’t.  Look for him to play right field against southpaws and give Garret Jones some time off as well. 

Good teams need good benches as well.  The Diaz signing makes sense.  If things go right, Andrew Lambo could be the right fielder late in the season anyways.

That’s the main key.  The Pirates are committed to young players.  There is no need to go out and try and sign a big name right now that will block one of their prospects.

The Diaz signing likely spells the end of Ryan Doumit’s Pirates career.  The writing is on the wall and he will be dealt before the season begins.  General Manager Neal Huntington has actively been trying to unload him and I expect it to get done before spring training opens.

In other Pirates news, they are looking for a utility type guy.  I know they made an offer to Bill Hall and also have interest in Brenden Ryan.

The one area they haven’t yet upgraded is shortstop.  They were linked to Jason Bartlett but he was dealt to San Diego.  A J.J. hardy deal has also been talked about, but he is likely headed to Baltimore.

As the market begins to die, one option could be Orlando Cabrera.

That’s likely all the Pirates will do as the Winter Meetings end tomorrow morning.  While the signings haven’t been flashy, they have done a good job at least being active.

Remember, the goal is to win on the field consistently in the future, not win the 2010 Winter Meetings.

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Although not there yet, I will be in Orlando tomorrow to bring you all of the latest news at Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings.

As usual on the first day, there is much dialogue between clubs.  Most of it goes nowhere, but rumors will fly and some groundwork to future deals may be laid.

The Pirates look like they have made their first addition to the 2011 club by practically signing left-hander Scott Olsen to a one-year, incentive-laden deal.  The deal is contingent on Olsen passing a physical, which is expected to happen later this week.

Over parts of six seasons in the Majors, Olsen is 37-49 with a 4.85 ERA in 130 games. He has struck out 528 batters and walked 239 in 723 innings.  He has spent the last two seasons as a member of the Washington Nationals, though both seasons were marred by injury. Last season, the lefty went 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA.

Before that, Olsen was a member of the Florida Marlins where he had been much more durable.

It’s not a flashy signing, but it makes sense given the Pirates desperate need for starting pitching. The move won’t cost the club any money upfront, so if Olsen can’t recover from injuries, the Pirates won’t have an investment in him.

I know this isn’t the big move Pirates fans want.  While the Pirates are signing an injury prone left-hander, other struggling clubs like the Nationals are signing Jason Werth and the Orioles are acquiring Mark Reynolds.

Big names would be nice, but you have to look at where the Pirates currently are. The pieces are starting to accumulate, but they aren’t all there yet. I keep preaching patience and sticking to the plan.

Most people want a .500 season next year.  That’s very unlikely even if they somehow acquire a major name. There’s no way they make a near 50 game improvement. Instead, progress should be the goal. There’s no need to overpay for someone this year. Let them do that next offseason.

In other news, look for the Pirates to aggressively look to add another arm. That list likely includes Chris Young, Aaron Heilman, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Correia and possibly Brandon Webb, although Webb and the Pirates haven’t talked in over a week.

My money would be on Correia or Duchscherer.

Other names closely linked to the Pirates at the moment include Jeremy Accardo, Matt Diaz, J.J. Hardy, Brenden Ryan, Jeff Francoeur and unfortunately Kenshin Kawakami.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I will update you on everything to do with the Winter Meetings and the Pittsburgh Pirates

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General Manager Neal Huntington and the Pittsburgh Pirates were very busy before the midnight deadline to tender players contracts Thursday night.

Both shortstop Ronny Cedeno and pitcher Jeff Karstens were signed to contracts, while pitchers Ross Ohlendorf and Joel Hanrahan were both tendered contracts. All four moves were expected.

In a move that came as a bit of a surprise, outfielder Lastings Milledge was non-tendered, making him a free agent. It’s a tad surprising, but totally understandable why the Pirates made the decision.

Milledge brought a great attitude and gave a tremendous effort. Often you wonder why the other eight guys on the field didn’t look like they gave the same type of effort as Milledge.  However, with all of the hustle came a lot of mental mistakes and short comings.

Left field at PNC Park was way too tough for Milledge and right field wasn’t a walk in the park either.  He was also hands down the worst base runner in the majors.

Milledge wasn’t terrible at the plate.  He hit a respectable .277 at the plate and was fantastic with runners in scoring position, but he didn’t offer up enough power and just isn’t a run producer.  In the end, Milledge just didn’t produce enough to be tendered a contact.

I thought there was a chance they would tender Milledge and keep him as a fourth outfielder, but you can find bench players as free agents.

So was acquiring Milledge a bad trade?  Absolutely not. I will take Hanrahan’s power arm for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett any day of the week.  Milledge was worth taking a shot on. He has shown at times that he has a wealth of talent, but like so many young players, he has had trouble bringing it out on a consistent basis.

So where do the Pirates turn for a right fielder in 2011?

John Bowker will get a real long look. After the way he performed late in the season he deserves one. In essence, Bowker made Milledge expendable.

There is also the possibility of acquiring a power hitting first baseman and moving Garrett Jones to right field.

Then there is the worst case scenario, and that’s the Pirates don’t move Ryan Doumit and give him a lot of starts in right field.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Instead, look for the club to improve by going outside the organization.  Huntington has said that they will look to improve at shortstop, first base and right field.  They have the young talent to do it, so I look for the Pirates to be aggressive when the Winter Meetings come around.

If a smart baseball deal emerges, Huntington won’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

So far the Pirates have been linked to a couple of shortstops in Tampa’s Jason Bartlett and Minnesota’s J.J. Hardy. Either could be a possible upgrade, but I’ll talk about that next week.

There are also several big named free agents the Pirates have been linked to including Lance Berkman, but I will break down those scenarios in my next article.

For now, it looks like Lastings Milledge couldn’t take advantage of perhaps his last real shot as an everyday major leaguer.

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The already thin starting pitching market took a big hit this morning with the announcement that southpaw Jorge De La Rosa has re-signed with the Colorado Rockies for a deal estimated to be around the $30 million range for three years.

De La Rosa is the latest in a busy week for starting pitchers that saw Javier Vazquez, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda all sign new deals.

In essence, a very thin starting pitching market just got a whole lot thinner, especially for teams like the Pirates.

General Manager Neal Huntington warned everyone before the offseason that a major starting pitching signing is not likely, because the available arms just aren’t there.

So what’s the next step for the Pirates in their search for quality starting pitching?  De La Rosa would have been a nice grab and someone I’d commit multiple years to, but the Pirates had no realistic chance there.

Cliff Lee is naturally out of the question, which makes Carl Pavano the top arm on the open market.  Pavano is coming off a very good 2010, but he’s someone the Pirates shouldn’t even look at.

The goal here is to stick to the plan.  Investing multiple years at $10 million-plus in a guy like Pavano would be straying very far away from the plan.

Which brings us to the next group of available arms.  These are all guys coming off injury that may be worth taking a shot on with a one-year deal.  That list includes the likes of Erik Bedard, Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Ben Sheets, Chris Young and Justin Duchscherer.

Any name in that list could be worth taking a shot on.  Roll the dice and hope you get lucky.  The Pirates have kicked the tires on Webb, but nothing seems likely.

Another name currently being linked to the Pirates is Washington Nationals SP Scott Olsen.  He’s nothing special and is coming off an injury as well, but if healthy could likely suck up some innings for the Pirates.

Unless Huntington can swing a deal for a quality arm, these are likely the candidates and truthfully, most of them are likely not to be pursued anyways.

That brings us to a list of arms headed by the Brewers’ Dave Bush. Quite frankly, if the Pirates wanted to go that route, they already have Brian Burres and other journeymen arms. 

If the Pirates don’t significantly improve the starting rotation, there is absolutely no need to throw money at a guy that won’t help the current club or fit into the long-term plans. 

It’s not like the Pirates will improve 50-plus games in the standings next season.  Signing an arm or two is a luxury and not a necessity.

It’s more important that the club sticks to the plan.  Continue to draft well and get young arms throughout the system.

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The Pirates did what many expected they would Friday night when they parted ways with left-hander Zach Duke.  The announcement came just before the midnight deadline to protect Rule 5 eligible minor league players.

Along with Duke, the Pirates also designated infielder Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young for assignment as well.

The moves should come as no surprise, as Duke continued to struggle in 2010 to get major league hitters out consistently. 

By making the move, the Pirates will likely save close to $6 million, which is around what Duke would have likely earned had they tendered him and possibly went to arbitration.

After his sensational rookie season and a solid first half of 2009, the rest of Duke’s six-plus major-league seasons have been filled with inconsistencies.  The Pirates didn’t need a guy like Duke going forward, and the move had to be made.

The money saved by releasing Duke will be used to fill a spot in the starting rotation. A top-notch starter is very unlikely, but considering the way Duke performed most nights out, a slight upgrade is probable for 2011.

“We know that it’s not going to be easy to find a quality upgrade, and we know it’s going to be a challenge to find a guy who can pitch 180 innings,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said.

“We plan to reinvest the money that was supposed to go to Zach Duke into the club, but we’ll take the same logical approach into signing a free agent as we did in deciding not to tender him a contract. Just as we made our decision not to offer a contract to Zach Duke, we’ll only spend that money if it is on the right player at the right price.”

Duke ends his career with the Pirates having gone 45-70 with a 4.54 ERA in 160 games (159 starts). He went 8-15 with a 5.72 ERA in 2010.

LaRoche’s offensive struggles were the main reason for the decision on him.  With the emergence of Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker in 2010, there is no spot on the diamond left for LaRoche. 

That being the case, it makes much more sense to try and bring in a backup infielder during the offseason who can at least contribute something offensively.

The decision to DFA Young was a bit more surprising, but not unexpected.  Young offered a bit of versatility off the bench, and while he doesn’t play any position particularly well, he offered up a little value with his bat off the bench.

All three guys are free to sign with any team; including the Pirates if they were willing to accept a minor league deal, but I wouldn’t bank on that happening.

With the free spots on the 40-man roster, the Pirates added Jeff Locke, Danny Moskos, Tony Watson, Kyle McPherson and Michael Crotta. The additions filled up the 40-man roster.

None of these guys come as a surprise either, with the exception of protecting McPherson. That isn’t a terrible move after he had a pretty solid season at West Virginia.

One name that was a surprise that was left off the 40-man roster is right-hander Nathan Adcock, who the Pirates are very high on.

Other notables who were left unprotected include Brian Friday, Eric Fryer and former Pitt product Jim Negrych.

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There have been many names linked to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ managerial opening.  We’ve heard everything from John Gibbons to Bobby Valentine to Dale Sveum to Ken  Macha to Phil Garner.  Well, you get the point.

As I reported last week, it looked like the Pirates were holding out for the Texas Rangers to be eliminated from the World Series, so they could interview Clint Hurdle.  That indeed was the case and it looks like Hurdle is one of the final two candidates, as the Pirates won’t likely be conducting any more interviews for the job.

The other candidate?  Well, that would be Jeff Banister.

Jon Heyman of SI.com also confirmed that these are the likely last two guys standing.

I gave you Hurdle’s resume in my last article, which you are welcome to read as well.  Hurdle is definitely the more qualified manager and I would like to believe that he is the favorite, but who exactly is Banister?

Banister is no stranger to the Pirates organization, having spent 25 years within the club as a player and coach, in both the Pirates major and minor league system.

He currently served as the Pirates interim bench coach after Gary Varsho was fired during the season.

An interesting fact on Banister is that pitchers couldn’t get him out as a player. The guy batted a perfect 1.000 in his MLB career. That would be real impressive, if his career lasted more then one at bat.

In 1991, former Pirates manager Jim Leyland had to use Banister to pinch hit for injured catcher Don Slaught against the Atlanta Braves.  Banister reached on an infield single in his only MLB at bat and he was sent back to the minors following the game.

In 1993, Banister returned to the Pirates as a coach and field coordinator.  He’s been with the Pirates ever since.  Banister has served as a minor league manager on four different occasions, but not since 1998 when he managed the Carolina Mudcats.

I guess loyalty counts for something,  I’m not overly impressed with Banister’s resume.  I’d still rather have Hurdle.

However, the one thing Banister has going for him is that no one probably knows the Pirates young talent better then he does.

In the end, a decision should be made soon.  So, Bleacher Report followers, who would you hire if you were the Pirates? 

My vote still goes for Hurdle.

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It’s been a little over two weeks since the Pittsburgh Pirates last interviewed a candidate for the open managerial position.  They’ve yet to name a manager and many believe that the Pirates were waiting for the New York Yankees to get eliminated from the playoffs.

Could they be waiting for another guy and another team to get eliminated from the playoffs?  Maybe Texas Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle?

It makes sense.

Hurdle, as manager of the Colorado Rockies, has shown the ability to deal with young players.  He handled the learning process great as skipper of the Rockies.  He took a last place team and guided them to the only World Series appearance in franchise history.

It would be a good fit because the Pirates had the youngest roster in the majors last season and likely will get even younger through the next couple seasons.

In Colorado, Hurdle became the public face of the franchise, which elevated credibility of the Rockies as a competitive threat in the eyes of baseball fans. This is important in Pittsburgh as well. 

While young studs like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez will become the face of the franchise with time, it also would be good for the team to have a respected leader like Hurdle guiding the ship.

That’s what would separate a guy like Hurdle from the likes of Pena and the others.  That’s no knock on Pena and the other candidates, as they are all great baseball minds, but Hurdle has earned respect as a manager, while Pena and the others have not.

In seven-plus years as a manager in Colorado, Hurdle’s record was only 535-624, but after building with the young talent, he won the National League pennant in 2007.

He just may be the guy that the Pirates are waiting for.

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The Fall Classic is upon us.  The usual suspects are missing from this one though and in their place are a pair of young, upstart teams: the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers.

The talent is fantastic on both sides and this promises to be a great World Series filled with drama.  There’s a lot on the line. The Rangers are looking for its first championship in franchise history, while the Giants are looking to end a five-year drought of their own.

Many will be turned off because there are no Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies or any of the other October regulars.  No need to worry though as both of these teams belong here.

Are you a fan of great pitching?  Then you’re in luck because the Giants are pitching deep, finishing the season with the best team era in the game. 

The Rangers aren’t without their share of great arms, as they will be sending Cliff Lee to the mound in Game 1.  As Lee has proven in the past, anytime he starts in October, something special can happen.

If you’re not a fan of the young power arms and would rather see some offensive explosions, this series has that as well.

The Rangers, led by Josh Hamilton, finished the regular season as the fifth highest scoring offense in the game.

This series truly has something for everyone.  Who has the edge?

Let’s take a look.

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I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats anxiously awaiting to see who would be so lucky to be honored by achieving my year-end Pirates awards.

On a team that lost 105 games, awards aren’t likely for many of these guys. Or deserved for that matter. What fun would that be though?

Let’s dive right in and see who receives the dubious honors to conclude the 2010 season.

Feel free to comment and add your own opinions on each award.

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