Trade Stuff, Notes, and the Red Sox on TV Tonite

Trade talk swirls and the beat goes on...

• The Pirates were off yesterday and face the Bosox tonight at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers at 7:05 PM. The game will be aired by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. The lineup: Jaff Decker CF, Jose Tabata LF, Travis Snider RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Tony Sanchez C, Andrew Lambo 1B, Josh Harrison SS, Travis Ishikawa DH and Clint Barmes 2B. Wandy Rodriguez gets the start.
• Two possible names on the catching radar if the Bucs go outside the organization are The Fort, who is in a dogfight for a job with the Rox, and Kelly Shoppach, who the Bucs brought in ever-so-briefly last year.
• As far as first base is concerned, we still think the Bucs will go internal to fill the spot, although the FO hasn't exactly covered itself in glory with the way they handled the situation, putting all their eggs in the Andrew Lambo basket. Kendry Morales is an arm-and-a-leg, first born son expensive; Ike Davis, who is back on the market, hasn't played the field yet because of a leg injury; and Mike Carp is a possibility, along with Justin Smoak, only through the process of elimination.
• And don't automatically write off Lambo as a Quad A player quite yet, no matter how camp ends up for him. He has just half a season of AAA ball with 224 at-bats under his belt, all three of his player options are intact, is a lefty with 25+ HR power and he's just 25.
• The local media is beginning to name names as to who the Bucs are shopping. Don't let the list fool you - anyone that's an outfielder not named Cutch, Marte or Polanco is on the market, as is any bullpen pitcher. Those are the two areas where Pittsburgh is overstocked, and now the Pirates are hoping to cash in on any spring holes that pop up around the league.
• For those who care a little bit about the spring, Fangraphs has the Top 100 hitters in camp by OPS. Cutch and Russ Martin are in the top five, and the only other rep, somewhere in the middle of the pack, is Josh Harrison.
• Jake Seiner of Minor League Baseball wrote that the Bucs will convert catching prospect Wyatt Mathieson to third base, give Reese McGuire the bulk of the catching duties and play JaCoby Jones every day at short in Class A West Virginia.
• Batting Leadoff's Josh Martin has the Bucs Top Ten prospects.
• Travis Sawchik of the Tribune Review reported that the Bucco new agers are now measuring the effect of workouts on the players thanks to a bit of chip technology.