The Hammer Drops...

OK, Jack Splat is gonzo; no surprise there. Ian Snell joins him. They went to Seattle for a bench shortstop, a AAA power hitter without a position, and three young upside pitchers that are toiling in Class A and don't figure to reach Pittsburgh until 2012, if at all.

Wilson sealed his fate when he turned down the two-year, $8M deal the Pirates offered a few days ago. Snell talked his way out of town.

Wilson has been a Bucco since 2001, and played 1,159 games, batting .269, with 60 HR, 389 RBI, and 508 runs scored and an OBP of .311. His line this year was at about at his career average, .267/4/31, with a .304 OBP.

His replacement is Ronny Cedeno, with a career average of .238, with 18 home runs, 105 RBI, and a .276 OBP in 388 games during parts of five MLB seasons. Cedeno has fewer at-bats (1,090) than Wilson had games played.

He was given Seattle's SS job when Yuniesky Betancourt was dumped, and responded by hitting .167. Cedeno could field like Ozzie Smith - and he doesn't, although he's good - and will be a downgrade. He'll join the roster.

They added a potential bat with 25-year-old Jeff Clement. He was Seattle's first-round pick (third overall) in the 2005 draft, and was rated by Baseball America as the organization's number one prospect for both 2006 and 2008.

The lefty hit .288 with 33 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 68 RBI and 65 runs scored with a .505 slugging percentage in 92 games this year with AAA Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League, known as a notorious hitter's paradise.

A catcher for most of his career, the Pirates list him as a first baseman, though he was often the DH for Tacoma. He's been assigned to Indy, and has a shot at joining the team this year if he finds a glove that fits him.

The pitchers all have pedigrees and are young enough to be more than organizational guys.

Nathan Adcock, 21, was 5-7 with a 5.29 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) with Single-A High Desert of the California League. The RHP went 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 14 starts prior to the All-Star Game before hitting the proverbial wall in July.

He has a highly touted curve, but his problem is control; in his career, he's walked 159 batters in 320-2/3 innings. Adcock was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2006 draft from North Hardin (KY) High School, and is off to Lynchburg.

RHP Aaron Pribanic, 22, was 7-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 17 starts for Single-A Clinton of the Midwest League. He was was Seattle's third-round selection (98th overall) in the 2008 draft from the University of Nebraska, Joba Chamberlain's alma mater.

Neal Huntington said of his repertoire: "He has a heavy four-seam fastball that reaches up to 93 miles per hour and a two-seam fastball with significant sinking and tailing life low in the zone that has allowed him to get ground balls."

His rotation mate, Brett Lorin, 22, is a Bucco now, too. He went 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA, 87 strikeouts and 25 walks in 16 starts at Clinton. The 6-foot-7 RHP was named to the Midwest League All-Star team.

Lorin has a mid-90s heater, but is still working on his off-speed stuff; the curve is coming along, but he's looking for a third pitch. He was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2008 draft from Cal State University-Long Beach.

They'll stay together a while longer; both have been assigned to the West Virginia Power.

And what can you say about Ian Snell? He's been a Bucco since 2004, and in 2007 looked like the real deal, going 9-12 but with a solid 3.76 ERA. Alas, it was never to be, at least here. His career Pirate line was 33-46/4.75.

After his last dust-up with the suits, both sides torched their bridges. We suspect the management wanted him as far away as possible; heck, they probably tried to trade him to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters before settling on Seattle.

The Pirates will pick up the 2009 salaries of Wilson and Snell, minus the minor-league minimum that the Mariners will kick in, valued at $3.3M.

The beat goes on - and two days left before shopping season comes to an end. The MLB Bucs are a little weaker; the organization is a little deeper. And that's how it looks to go for the near future.

Now the two longest-tenured Pirates are John Grabow, who started in 2003, and Freddy Sanchez, who pulled on a Bucco jersey in 2004 - and there's no guarantee that they make it past Friday.