MLB Insiders - Pittsburgh Pirates

Neal Huntington admits the temptation has been there since the day he became the Pirates' general manager.

Realizing the Pirates lost 94 games last season and haven't had a winning season since 1992, there are times when Huntington has considered gutting the roster and starting over.

Yet, Huntington has stayed disciplined since taking over for Dave Littlefield on Sept. 25. He has refused to make trades just for the sake of making trades.

"I really believe one of my strengths and one of the strengths of our organization is that we try to take emotion out of decisions and try to make rational moves that will benefit the Pirates," Huntington said. "It isn't always easy. I want to improve our club and organization as soon as I can. We all want to make this organization better as soon as possible.

"Yet, you don't want to make moves that are potentially going to weaken the organization. Unfortunately, there haven't been many trade scenarios that have been presented that really would make us better not only for 2008 but for 2009, 2010 and 2011."

Therefore, Huntington has made only one trade, shipping reliever Salomon Torres to Milwaukee for two minor league relievers in December. Huntington's other moves concerning the major league roster have been claiming five players off waivers, taking a player in the Rule 5 draft and signing utility infielder Chris Gomez to a one-year, $1 million contract as a free agent.

The lack of player movement doesn't seem to dovetail with the changes Huntington has made to the Pirates' basic organizational structure. He fired manager Jim Tracy, the entire coaching staff, player personnel director Brian Graham and scouting director Ed Creech while demoting assistant GM Doug Strange.

Yet, barring an unexpected major move between now and the March 31 opener in Atlanta, the Pirates will go into the season with a roster nearly identical to the one that had the worst record in the National League in 2007. Huntington, though, does not have a problem with that.

"I think almost any analyst you talk to would tell you the 2007 Pirates underachieved," Huntington said. "I'm not about to say we're going to win a championship or a certain number of games with the team we have. However, I do feel this team should be more competitive than last season if for no other reason than it would be hard to believe so many players would underachieve for a second consecutive season."

While the law of averages may work in the Pirates' favor in 2008, a poor 2007 has left many of the team's players without a whole lot of value on the trade market.

"Quite frankly, we would be selling low in just about any trade we could possibly make, and we're not going to sell low," Huntington said. "We need to build depth in this organization, and the only way you can build that depth is to trade players when their value is high."

--2B Freddy Sanchez's salary arbitration hearing has been set for Feb. 11 in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is seeking $4.9 million, while the Pirates are offering $4.1 million. Sanchez was selected to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year in 2007 when he hit .304 with 11 homers and 81 RBIs in 147 games.

--RHP Jaret Wright was signed as a minor league free agent after being limited to three starts with Baltimore last season. The Pirates will try him as a reliever in an effort to help him overcome chronic shoulder problems. Wright, 32, lost all three starts with the Orioles, posting a 6.97 ERA. He would have an $800,000 salary if he makes the major league roster.

--LHP Casey Fossum and RHP Hector Carrasco, who were both released last season, were signed to minor league contracts and invited to spring training. Fossum, 30, was 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA in 40 games, 10 starts, with Tampa Bay last year, while Carrasco, 38, was 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 29 games, one start, with the Los Angeles Angels.

--Jim Tracy, fired as manager at the end of last season, is still looking for a job in baseball but has decided to continue living in the Pittsburgh suburbs since his son, Mark, is a catcher/first baseman at Duquesne University after transferring from Pepperdine.

--The Pirates broke ground on a 46-acre academy in the Dominican Republic that will cost an estimated $5 million to build. The academy is expected to be ready sometime during the summer of 2009.

BY THE NUMBERS: 10 1/3 -- Innings RHP Jaret Wright, signed to a minor league contract as a free agent, pitched last season with Baltimore because of shoulder problems.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's a low-risk gamble on our part because it's a minor league contract. If Jaret Wright it healthy, he has a lot of ability and can potentially help us a lot." -- GM Neal Huntington.