Pirates will not make deal for catcher

Neal Huntington says the Pirates will not trade for a catcher in Chris Stewart's absence, and instead will go with Russell Martin and Tony Sanchez.

As a writer, this spring training feels like an elaborate joke in which I have to relay news that isn't news because it's the most obvious stuff ever. With Stewart out only six to eight weeks, there's no reason for the Pirates to make a trade, at least not a significant one -- the possibility of injury was one of the reasons they acquired Stewart in the first place, and even without him, they have two perfectly good big-league catchers. The worst-case scenario is that now either Martin or Sanchez gets hurt, and the Pirates have to have Nevin Ashley be their backup catcher for a month until Stewart gets back. Which would be no big deal. Okay, okay -- that's not the worst-case scenario. Catcherpocalypse 2011 Part 2: Carlos Paulino Boogaloo is the worst-case scenario. But you get the idea. If Stewart is due back in May, the Pirates can do fine with what they have until then.