Notes

• Rob Beirtempfel of the Trib reports that "Tony Sanchez, the Pirates' top catcher prospect, again got into hot water with the team when he sustained a broken jaw (his third since he's been a Bucco) in a bar brawl earlier this offseason." The fight happened three months ago, and Sanchez was working out at a team camp two or three weeks ago, so the jaw is obviously healed. It looks like our first rounder is gonna need a goalie mask strapped on tight before he goes up to bat...or out for the night.
• Clay Davenport conjured up some early 2012 projections. He has the Pirates at 74-88, which sounds about right unless an eruption of individual breakout seasons occur this year.
• Ronnie Paulino, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Orioles, where he'll be insurance along with Taylor Teagarden behind Matt Weiters. Since leaving Pittsburgh after the 2008 season, when he lost his job to Dewey, he's been with Florida and the Mets.
• For those wondering how the Astros got away with signing Chris Snyder to a $750K deal, the contract includes $1.5M in at-bat bonuses up to 475, another $250K for days on the active roster up to 150, and $200K if he gets traded during the year. Pretty creative way to structure a contract with an injury-prone guy, and it's stilled capped at $2.5M if he starts for the team all year. And no, that sort of deal probably wasn't an option with the Pirates early on when they grabbed Rod Barajas. We're sure Snyder went at a deep discount when he realized it was January and he was still unemployed.
• MLB Trade Rumor's Tim Dierkes speculates that three players with Pirate ties may be ready to hang up the spikes: Jason Kendall and Tim Wakefield, who both began their careers here, and Derrek Lee, who may have ended his at PNC Park last season.