The Week's Notes: Hot Stove Rumors; Feliz Signs, Corey & Keone Tendered; Bucco Events; Ol' Pirates Shuffle

With the winter meetings around the corner, some possible moves, arb tenders and news of the week...

• Jeff Passan of Yahoo!Sports is floating the names of Bucco backstop Fran Cervelli and ex-Pirates C Russ Martin as being available for trade in a year that has quite a bit of demand for the position. Personally, we don't expect a swap for Cervy unless someone - and it only takes one - overbids, and we don't foresee that with his injury history. He would seem to have more value in Pittsburgh than on the market. Still, as Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects notes in a do it-don't do it post, there are arguments both ways. The FO does like to flip guys in the last year of their contract, he is affordable, and his intangibles are off the board, so...
• Dropping a level, MLB Pipeline opines on the likeliest prospect to be dealt for each club; they think the Pirate pup who may draw attention in RHP Luis Escobar.

Luis Escobar (photo via MLB Pipeline)

• Jason Rollison of Bucs Dugout names a couple of lefty relievers who are showing on the Pirates radar: Jerry Blevins and Jake Diekman.
• Jordy has really cut his Bucco ties; he'll be represented in free agency by the Boras Corporation.
• Arb day: Michael Feliz inked a $375K guaranteed deal w/$850 K for MLB time per Jon Heyman of Fancred. The other two arb-eligibles, Corey Dickerson and Keone Kela, were tendered and so stay in the flock. They have six weeks to come to an agreement before they exchange salary numbers and begin the arb process.
• In a bit of speculation (or maybe wishful thinking) David Slusser of Rumbunter takes a peek at what a Jameson Taillon contract extension might look like.
• Particulars for Pirates Fest: It's scheduled for noon-to-five PM on Saturday, January 26th, at PNC Park; admission is free. There will be autograph tables featuring players/alum, and Pirates Charities will donate all autograph proceeds to the City of Pittsburgh’s Fraternal Order of Police Injured Officers Fund/Public Safety Support Trust Fund. There will also be the usual annual Q&A, games, booths and all that jazz.
• Clint is switching hats from baseball manager to life coach during a visit to IUP to share his experiences on the road of life during a "Guys Night Out with Clint Hurdle" on December 6th, an event sponsored by Indiana hoops and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Other Bucco good guys are Joe Musgrove and Steven Brault, who visited Obama Academy for a "Shred Hate" mash up.

Clint does some mentoring (photo via Whirl Magazine)

• 2B Dilson Herrera, 24 (he'll be 25 in March), who was traded to the Mets by the Bucs in 2013 as part of the Marlon Byrd deal, is returning to the Big Apple after signing a minor-league deal w/the Metropolitans. He had been with the Reds where injuries short-circuited his progress.
• The Rangers made it official: after signing RHP Edinson Volquez to a minor league deal last year while he recovered from TJ surgery, they inked him to a $2M deal loaded with incentives for this campaign.
• The Orioles have fired farm director Brian Graham, who had held the job since 2013. He was the Bucs Director of Player Development and the interim GM between Dave Littlefield and Neal Huntington, with his Pittsburgh stay lasting from 2001-07.
• Ol' Bucco nemesis Billy Hamilton was non-tendered by the Reds; let's hope he finds a happy home somewhere in the AL.
• OF Robby Grossman, who the Pirates traded for Wandy Rodriguez back in the day, was non-tendered by the Twins.
• New Castle's Jack Zduriencik, the Pirates pre-and-post game radio analyst, has a background with a depth not realized by a lot of fans, as described by the Post-Gazette's Bill Brink.