The Trib-Review reported today that the McLouth trade "immediately created a roughly $1.3 million windfall of payroll funds." Can't be! How many times has it been reported since the trade by the spinners in high places that the trade had nothing to do with money? Granted this spin suggests the saved money will be spent on the upcoming draft. I have no doubt that Pirate management does have a plan. Their plan is to fool the Pirate fan base for a longer time than Bonifay and Littlefield management lulled them into believe that they were really concerned about winning. Part of the new plan is to acquire a lot of players (depth) and from that litter the "key" prospect is shipped to the low minor leagues, out of constant scrutiny of Pirate fans and telling the public that they are several years away but worth waiting for. Yea, sure! For all of the moeny the Pirates spent on the draft last year, look at the minor league records. Baseball America may soon tout the Pirate minor league's as the best of baseball, but the aggragate won-lost records were worse than the last Littlefield year. This year's organizational team records also worse than 2007. And budding superstar Pedro Alveraz didn't make the Class A league all-star team.