Shortstop Jack Wilson did not attract the trade interest the Pirates had hoped, and neither did first baseman Adam LaRoche nor second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Meanwhile, general manager Neal Huntington did not receive any overwhelming offers on players he does not necessarily want to trade such as left-hander Paul Maholm, closer Matt Capps, catcher Ryan Doumit and center fielder Nate McLouth.
Thus, the Pirates left Las Vegas having only traded backup catcher Ronny Paulino to Philadelphia for minor league catcher Jason Jaramillo and selected left-hander Donnie Veal from the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft.
Jaramillo will battle fellow rookie Robinzon Diaz for the job as backup to Doumit behind the plate. Jaramillo, 26, hit .266 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 115 games for Class AAA Lehigh Valley last season. Pirates manager John Russell is familiar with Jaramillo, ranked as the Phillies' 10th-best prospect by Baseball America going into last season, after managing him at Class AAA Ottawa in 2007.
"He is a switch hitter with some pop in his bat and is also good defensively," Huntington said. "We feel like he is someone who can definitely strengthen our bench or at least provide depth at Class AAA next season."
Veal, 24, is a bit of a long shot, as he struggled in the minor leagues with his control last season, going 5-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 29 starts for Class AA Tennessee. He walked 81 and threw 18 wild pitches in 145 2/3 innings. Veal was considered the Cubs' No. 6 prospect according to Baseball America prior to last season. The Pirates must keep Veal on the major league roster all season or offer him back to the Cubs for half the $50,000 draft price.
"It's a lightning-in-a-bottle pick," Huntington said. "Generally, you're either taking somebody who can fill a role on your club right now or someone who projects as a potential star down the road. It's a bit of a gamble to see if he can stay with us all season, but he is talented enough that we felt we needed to take him."
Ramon Vazquez signed a two-year, $4 million deal after passing a physical examination. Vazquez, 32, hit .290 with six home runs and 40 RBIs in 105 games with Texas last season, playing 70 games at third base, 26 at shortstop, 11 at second base and one at first base.
--RHP Denny Bautista was the Pirates' only arbitration-eligible player who was non-tendered at the Dec. 12 deadline. Bautista went 4-3 with a 6.10 ERA in 35 games for Pittsburgh this year.
--RHP Jason Davis and C Raul Chavez were outrighted off the 40-man roster and became free agents as the Pirates opted not to go to arbitration with them. Davis, 28, was 2-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 14 games, four starts, last season and is pursuing opportunities in Japan. Chavez, 35, hit .259 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 42 games.
--LHP Daniel Haigwood and RHP Brian Slocum were signed as minor league free agents and invited to major league spring training. Haigwood, 25, was 2-3 with one save and a 3.36 ERA in 38 games, three starts, for Boston's Class AA Trenton club last season. Slocum, 27, was 3-7 with a 4.85 ERA in 30 games, 11 starts, for Cleveland's Class AAA Buffalo affiliate.
--LHP Kyle Bloom was selected by Detroit in the Rule 5 draft after going 5-8 with a 4.19 ERA in 28 games, 22 starts, for Class AA Altoona last season. Bloom, 25, must stay in the major leagues with the Tigers throughout all of the 2009 season or be offered back to the Pirates for $25,000.
--The Pirates will play 35 exhibition games next spring, hosting World Series champion Philadelphia in their Grapefruit League opener on Feb. 25 in Bradenton, Fla.
BY THE NUMBERS: .310 -- Batting average for C Ronny Paulino in 2006, a figure that dropped to .263 in 2007 and .212 in 2008 before he was traded to Philadelphia for minor league C Jason Jaramillo.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The talent is in there, but we just couldn't seem to unlock it anymore." -- GM Neal Huntington, on Paulino.