Saturday Pirate Notes...

Some wheels in motion now that the series is done:

• Wandy Rodriguez exercised his 2014 option. He'll make $13M, $5.5M paid for by the Astros.
• Still no word on AJ, who could: retire, sign for a year, or perhaps be looking for a two-year deal.  We'd expect a quick resolution; the Pirate pitching needs change quite a bit depending on whether or not he's in the mix.
• Chris Dotson of ESPN looks at the 2014 NL Central and posted "If the front office decides to stand pat, it's not unreasonable to expect the Pirates to regress a bit next year. Huntington needs to be aggressive about improving the roster this winter."
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com picks the Bucco farm system as #1. "I try to look for a combination of impact talent -- elite prospects who could become highly productive big leaguers -- as well as depth. Taking those variables into account, I have to go with the Pittsburgh Pirates." Jim Callis of Baseball America disagrees and takes the Astros. Keith Law of ESPN agreed with Callis, tweeting "Haven't done my rankings but don't think they (Pittsburgh) will be #1."
• OF Felix Pie was outrighted off the 40-man roster and selected free agency. He hit .138 for the Bucs and .251 at Indy.
• Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors profiled FA Justin Morneau, and wrote "Morneau could seek to rebuild his value with the Rays. He could also be a first base option for the Red Sox, Brewers, Rockies or Rangers. Pirates GM Neal Huntington could also look to retain Morneau at a reduced rate. I expect Morneau to take a one-year, $7M contract in a hitter-friendly atmosphere to try to rebuild some free agent value for next offseason."
• The MLB Network will air the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game tonite at 8 PM. IF Alen Hanson is on the squad.
• For those who just can't wait, the Pirates will open spring baseball against the New York Yankees on February 26th at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.
• Andy LaRoche again signed with the Blue Jays. He hit .271 for their Buffalo AAA club last season, his fourth organization since leaving Pittsburgh.