-P Cory has a plan to improve the Bucs. It mostly sounds really good, except I'm not sure Adam LaRoche and Kyle Davies for Mike Gonzalez, Paul Maholm and Jose Castillo is realistic. Castillo has very little value right now. Davies was terrible last year, but that seems to be almost entirely because of a groin problem that should be cleared up this year. I like his long-term potential as much as I like Maholm's. So we're really back to just LaRoche for Gonzalez again, and as we've seen, that's not going to get it done. Cory has Chris Duffy as a bench player going into 2008 anyway, though - perhaps LaRoche for Gonzalez and Duffy would make sense?
-P- The St. Louis Post-Dispatch rips the Bucs:
Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield began the offseason with about $17 million in payroll space. His moves to date have been minor. The Pirates' most significant acquisition has been bringing back strikeout-prone infielder Jose Hernandez.
That does not threaten the balance of power in the National League Central.
-P- Here's an article on a member of the Pirates' ownership group with whom you may not be familiar. It doesn't sound like he's rocking the boat in Pittsburgh at all, unfortunately.