Bucs Dugout, a Pittsburgh Pirates community

Given that the market for hitters is likely going to be rather thin sauce this year, I'm wondering at what price point Soriano would make sense for the Pirates to acquire in terms of money and prospects. In my opinion, the Cubbies would have to pick up at least 14 million (out of the 18 million) he's owed per year through 2014 to even think about pulling the trigger, and I certainly don't want us giving up much more than the White Sox gave up for Youklis. Thoughts?

Over the off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to replace multiple positions with free agent players. The positions, which hadn’t been adequately filled in some time, were in dire need of replacement due to the sub-par performances of the previous occupant.

she wasn't angry, she was just disappointed

The 2011 campaign (72-90) was one Pirates fans can finally say that their team may be coming back, slowly, but surely. In fact, Pittsburgh was above .500 on June 24, which may not seem significant for some, but for Pirates fans it was the latest the team has been over .500 in the season since 1999. They were in the thick of the playoff race going into the All-Star Break, but then struggled down the stretch, finishing fourth in the NL Central. However, for Bucs fans, there is much to take away from this. For instance, Andrew McCutchen (.256/.364/.456) is a bonafide star. For Pirates fans, they probably already knew that and argue that this was the worst of his three seasons offensively with the club, but a closer look reveals it was actually his best (5.7 WAR in 2011, compared to 3.5 and 3.7 in 2009 and 2010, respectively) as an all-around player. He improved his glovework, which helped him post his first positive UZR/150 season (3.3) since entering the league. At a premium position in center field, McCutchen is definitely a player the Pirates need to carry them going forward.

A great article on Rudy Owens that credits his breakout to the focus of the new staff brought in by Huntington.