No Qualifier For AJ, But 13 Others Get Bid, More Notes...

The Pirates did not exercise a one-year, $14.1M qualifying offer to AJ Burnett yesterday.

That doesn't mean that they plan to break ties with him. Burnett said that he'd be back in Pittsburgh if he didn't retire, and the qualifying offer is to guarantee a draft pick for a departing FA. It also guaranteed $14.1M for AJ if he accepted, and that's likely more than the Pirates want to pay, or even use as a starting point for negotiations.

It seems a bit penny-wise and pound foolish to us, but we're assuming that the move didn't occur in a vacuum and that FO has been in contact with AJ or his people.

Burnett, who will be 37 in January, put up a 3.30 ERA (2.92 xFIP, 3.10 SIERA) with a NL-leading 9.8 K/9 and 56.2 % ground-ball rate in 191 innings in his second season with the Pirates. His WAR was 3.0, which makes his market value about $15M. Various guesstimates have the Pirates looking to offer him $12-12.5M for a year.

So the Bucs are rolling the dice on AJ not playing the field; we'll see if it was a good bet. Still, low balling your top FA is a curious decision, especially with an influx of new national TV money. Maybe the Bucs are inviting him to leave.

The players who received qualifying offers this year are Robinson Cano, Hiroki Kuroda and Curtis Granderson (Yankees); Mike Napoli, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew (Red Sox), Ervin Santana (Royals), Ubaldo Jimenez (Indians), Brian McCann (Braves), Nelson Cruz (Rangers), Kendrys Morales (Mariners), Shin-Soo Choo (Reds) and Carlos Beltran (Cardinals).

That roster includes a handful of guys the Pirates were said to be looking at; Napoli and Morales at first, Drew at SS, Beltran in the OF and maybe P Santana. The draft pick will limit the teams that can compete for them and probably eliminates the Pirates, not that they were anything but dark horses before the offers went out for that group.

• In other news, in the Player's Choice awards, Cutch was voted the NL Outstanding Player of the year by his peers for the second straight season, while Francisco Liriano was selected as the NL's Comeback Player of the year.
• Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors takes a look at the next group on the Bucco list, the arbitration-eligible gang - Garrett Jones, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, Charlie Morton, Mark Melancon, Gaby Sanchez, Travis Snider, Michael McKenry and Vin Mazzaro.

Stadium Over the Mon

Stadium Over The Mon from the Carnegie Library collection

Ol' GW was looking over tweets between football games yesterday (just in case Cliff Lee was coming to Pittsburgh, lol), and lo and behind, our blogger buds From Forbes to Federal posted a picture of the Stadium over the Monongahela. Now Mr. Weenie is along enough in years to have sneaked into Forbes Field as a cash-strapped but nimble-footed lad, but this proposal from the fifties had completely slipped quietly into his gray matter's no-man land.

Its genesis began in 1958, when the Pirates sold Forbes Field to an ever expanding Pitt for $2M. As part of the deal, the university would lease Forbes Field back to the Pirates until a new ballyard was built.

One of the earliest suggested designs suggested a new multi-purpose stadium atop a bridge(s) spanning the Monongahela River. It was designed to be a 70,000 seat stadium with mainly covered seating, hotels, gardens, parking for 4,500 cars, a covered marina and even a 100 lane bowling alley, as proposed by Eric Sirko and drawn up by NADCO Engineering Company and consulting architect, M.de Mailly of Paris.

It was described, in perhaps a bit of a pun, as  "Completely Self-Liquidating. No Tax Loss. No Land Acquisition. A 'First' in the World."  It looks as if it would have spanned the Smithfield Street Bridge and touched down on Station Square by the Gateway Clipper docks. So the Smithfield Street Bridge would have to come down (or be used as a foundation) and the Station Square complex drastically cut. The effect on navigation would have been problematic. The face of Downtown and North Shore would have been altered in ways difficult to imagine, as would already tortured traffic patterns.

It doesn't look like it ever got past the drawing board stage; that same year, the City acquired the land on the North Shore where Three Rivers Stadium, after considerable political posing, rose in 1970. We can't find any mention of the estimated cost of the project, and our guess is that alone would have have doomed the proposal; the savings in property costs would likely have been dwarfed by the construction expense.

Still, a pretty cool idea, even if overreaching. It would have been the venue of the century.

Hot Stove, Pirate Notes...

Over the weekend notes:

• Joe Baker of MLB Nation puts together 2+2 and speculates that the Bucs may be among a handful of teams kicking the tires of Cub SS Starlin Castro. 
• 5 PM today is the deadline for a qualifying offer for FA, which is a year at $14.1M. We'll see if the Pirates use it on AJ. We expect they will. Even though he said he'd return if he doesn't retire, the Tim Lincecum deal (2yrs/$35M) and a possibly bruised ego might make him rethink taking a dip into the FA pool, so the Pirates would be prudent to lock up a draft pick if he does fly the coop. 
• Seattle announced that it plans to make a qualifying offer to DH/1B Kendrys Morales, so the rumored Pirate target would cost a first round pick (#27) in addition to the contract costs. The Red Sox plan to do the same with SS Stephen Drew and 1B Mike Napoli, also thought to be on the Bucco wish list.
• Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors takes a look at OF Marlon Byrd's upcoming free agency. His "expectation is that Byrd will match (Melky) Cabrera with a two-year, $16M deal."
• Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors took a guess at where the Top Fifty FA would land. He has Pittsburgh keeping AJ and The Byrd, with no outside Top 50 additions.
• Travis Sawchik of the Tribune Review looks at why free agency isn't the gold mine it used to be, with the locking up of young talent and the financial risk of long-term deals for aging vets being among the chief culprits.
• Lloyd McClendon, on the short list to replace Jim Leyland at Detroit, lost out to Brad Ausmus.
• The Tigers didn't pick up Jose Veras' $4M option.
• Remember Casey McGehee? He hit .289/.371/.512 with 27 home runs in Japan this past season. McGehee, 30, will decide whether to stay in Japan or head back to the United States to reestablish his MLB brand.

11/3: Deacon Wins Cy Young, more...

The Deacon wins the Cy Young Award, Harry Staley, Paul Waner, DC Shenanigans, Aki...

• 1866 - RHP Harry Staley was born in Jacksonville, Illinois. Staley pitched in Pittsburgh from 1888-91, tossing for the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates. His overall Steel City record was 51-58 with a 3.21 ERA. 
• 1934 - Dizzy Dean‚ with a 30-7 record‚ was selected as the NL MVP, with the Pirates Paul Waner finishing a distant second despite a .362/14/90 slash. 
• 1960 - The Deacon, Vern Law, who finished 20-9 with 18 complete games and a 3.08 ERA, was voted the Cy Young Award winner by easily outpolling Warren Spahn. 
• 1971 - PA senators Hugh Scott and Richard Schweiker, winners of a bet made on the 1971 Fall Classic between them and Maryland senators Charles Mathias Jr. and J. Glenn Beall, Jr., rode elephants in front of the Capitol as the losers led the pachyderms while carrying shovels to clean the street. 
• 2009 - The Pirates sent RHP Jesse Chavez to Tampa Bay for 2B Akinori Iwamura, who at $4.85M became the Pirates highest paid player. Iwamura was out of shape and benched in June with a .172 average. Aki was replaced rather handily by Neil Walker, released in mid-September, and after 10 games with Oakland, he was out of MLB.

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.

11/1-2: Larry French, Gary Redus, The AA, Bobby Bragan, Orlando Merced...

Larry French, Gary Redus, The AA, Bobby Bragan, Orlando Merced...

• November 1, 1907 - LHP Larry French was born in Visalia, California. He started his 14 year career in Pittsburgh (1929-34) and had a line of 87-83/3.50, winning 15 or more games four times as a Pirate. French won 197 games before he hung ‘em up and was an All-Star for the Cubs in 1940. 
• November 1, 1956 - 1B/OF Gary Redus was born in Tanner, Alabama. Redus played off the bench for five years (1988-92) with three division winning teams as a Pirate, hitting .255 in 398 Buc games. 
• November 2, 1881 - The American Association was founded. The members were the Brooklyn Atlantics, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Louisville Cardinals, Philadelphia Atlantics, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. The AA was considered a major league organization, though the Alleghenys bolted to the NL after the 1886 campaign and the league folded after the 1891 season. 
• November 2, 1955 - Bobby Bragan was named the new Bucco field manager‚ replacing Fred Haney.
• November 2, 1966 - OF/1B Orlando Merced was born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. Merced played from 1990-96 for the Bucs with a .283 BA, coming in second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1991.

Now To Keep That Window Open...

OK, the Bucs finally broke down that September door this year. But being successful doesn't guarantee a continued run; the Pirates have some shoring up to do to keep that competitive window open.

While the attack was sputtering last year, the key to the season was the pitching, and that's where the FO should begin to build depth again. There's a nice core of returning guys in Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton, and a then whole lot of question marks.

The AJ coin flip should be decided soon, and if he returns, Pittsburgh will have have four guns to fire. Wandy has exercised his option, and the question with him is if he can pitch through an injury that seems to be more painfully nagging than structural. Jeff Locke is back, but which version is another question that will need answered.

Behind that, the Pirates have some promising arms, but not guys that are ready for the prime time. Jameson Taillon isn't necessarily on the same track as Cole. JT was drafted as a high school kid and may need some more time to get ready for the show. Kyle McPherson was highly thought of, but he's out until mid-to-late summer after surgery. The other guys are looking at an optimistic 2015 ETA.

Jeanmar Gomez, Stolmy Pimentel and even Justin Wilson will be stretched out for camp and provide a Plan B for the back end. Brandon Cumpton and Kris Johnson had their moments in 2013, but both have numbers that suggest a career from the pen rather than the rotation.

So the first step is to land some starters. They could go the Josh Johnson/Dan Haren route, looking for a sabermetric clone of Liriano, or make some minor deals like the ones that landed them Gomez, Pimentel, Vin Mazzaro, etc. But it wouldn't surprise us if they swung a trade to bring in a proven upper-to-mid level hurler on a 2-3 year stint. With the young guys still a couple of seasons away and AJ, Wandy and Frankie all in their walk years after 2014, it would make sense.

The bullpen isn't a place to get comfortable. Jason Grilli was getting his velocity back late in the season, while Mark the Shark may have to switch up his cutter-heavy approach a bit after the league made a September adjustment. But they have some guys that are under control and have some value on the marketplace, so change will be the constant. The FO has no attachment to relievers, so this would be a good year to get some value from a staff that over-performed in 2013.

The first offensive position to address is first base. Garrett Jones is 32 and played closer to his MLB line than his outlier year of 2012, and is on very thin ice to get an arbitration offer. Gaby's spot is as a platoon guy, and he raked lefties; if he remains, it will be as a platoon guy. We personally would like to see Cory Hart's tires get kicked. James Loney is a nice available piece too, especially with Gaby in tandem. Kendrys Morales is another name that keeps appearing on the radar screen as a Pirate target.

RF would be next, but with Gregory Polanco, followed by a handful of young guys, rising with a bullet, that position isn't as critical long-term. The FA market is thin, and Tom Singer of MLB.com writes "Giancarlo Stanton's name keeps popping up, and a blockbuster deal for him involving Tabata (his team-friendly long-term deal appeals to the Marlins) and some of the bullpen depth is very possible." That would be a deal that needs serious consideration. And if they decide not to move, a JT/Andrew Lambo pairing could work.

Shortstop is another spot that may be under the glass. If the Pirates sign Clint Barmes again, it will be as a bench guy to back up the middle of the infield. If he doesn't, there are a horde of glove-first infielders available, hopefully a little better with the bat than John McDonald or Brandon Inge.

Our guess is that Jordy Mercer will get his chance, especially now that Stephen Drew has been tendered, pretty much leaving Jhonny Peralta as the man on the market. It's possible they could deal here, too, with guys like Elvis Andrus/Jurickson Profar maybe on the front burner. But with Alen Hansen, who will take a middle infield spot in 2015-16, it's another area where they're not deep but do have a front-liner on the way, and the Bucs may give Mercer and Hansen a year to show what they can do. 

They're set at third with Pedro, second with The Kid, catching with Russ Martin and the Starling/Cutch duo in the pasture. But none of those spots can take an injury hit yet; the organizational depth just isn't there.

So they'll look to find an extra outfielder and a corner infielder, both of which could be filled from within or outside the system.  And that's not too bad a shopping list, compared to years past. They don't have positional depth built up, but if their core guys can avoid the tub, they could be an improved club in 2014. The advantage is that now Pittsburgh is a more attractive landing spot for FA, and the payroll is expected to rise by $20M, around the $100M mark. Not exactly the Dodgers, but a step in the right direction.

Buc's Halloween History: Fido, Bobby Bragan, Lee Tunnell, Jim Bibby, Ian Snell, Jerry Reuss, Jim Leyland, and more...

Fido, Bobby Bragan, Lee Tunnell, Jim Bibby, Ian Snell, Jerry Reuss, Jim Leyland, and more...

• October 29, 1893 - P Mark “Fido” Baldwin was born in Homestead. He only pitched two years and some change for the Pirates (1891-93) but the club got its money’s worth. Between 1891-92, Fido started 104 games, went 47-55, and worked 878 IP with a 3.14 ERA. He was known as one of, if not the fastest, thrower of his era. He also was sued by St. Louis owner Chris von der Ahe for trying to influence his players to skip leagues (which he did), and was arrested for participating in the Homestead steel strike (he was freed, claiming to be just a spectator). Baldwin later became a doctor and associated with Homestead’s Municipal Hospital. He’s buried in Allegheny Cemetery. 
• October 29, 1944 - RHP Jim Bibby was born in Franklinton, NC. The big guy worked five years (1978-83; he was out all of 1982) for Pittsburgh, and won 19 games in 1980 in his All-Star season. He was 50-32/3.53 during that span. Bibby started three games in the 1979 championship run (1 NLCS, 2 WS) and while not getting a decision in any of them, put up a 2.08 ERA. His career highlight was in 1981, when he gave up a leadoff single to Atlanta’s Terry Harper and retired the next 27 batters. A shoulder injury suffered later that season eventually led to his retirement in 1984. 
• October 30, 1981 - RHP Ian Snell was born in Dover, Delaware. He spent parts of six seasons (2004-09) as a Pirate starter, showing promise but never quite getting over the hump with a line of 33-46/4.75, and was traded to Seattle. 
• October 30, 1884 - Financially troubled despite finishing second to New York in the American Association‚ the Columbus Colts sold its players to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $6‚000 and disbanded. The Alleghenys could use all the help they could get; they finished the 1884 season 30-78 and 45-1/2 games behind the AA champion NY Metropolitans. 
• October 30, 1917 - Manager Bobby Bragan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The former big league infielder managed the Bucs just before they turned the corner in 1956-57, with a record of 102-155 (.397) before Danny Murtaugh took the reins.
• October 30, 1960 - RHP Lee Tunnell was born in Tyler, Texas. The Baylor righty was the Bucs’ second pick in the 1981 draft. He arrived in Pittsburgh the following September and then went 11-6/3.85 in 1983, but his four year run (1982-85) produced just a 17-24/4.06 line overall.
• October 31, 1973 - The Astros traded Jerry Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. Reuss ended up 61-46 with a 3.52 ERA as a Buc and was a rotation mainstay for four seasons. The lefty worked six campaigns in Pittsburgh (1974-78, 1990) and spent his last MLB season as a Pirate. 
• October 31, 1990 - Jim Leyland was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He guided the Bucs to 95 wins and a division title, and easily outdistanced the Cincinnati Reds’ Lou Piniella.
• October 31, 2011 - The Pirates lost four veterans to free agency: C Ryan Doumit, C Chris Snyder, SS Ronnie Cedeno and LHP Paul Maholm. Late season acquisitions OF Ryan Ludwick and 1B Derrek Lee declared themselves FAs the day before.

Andrew Lambo

Andrew Lambo was selected by the Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Newbury Park HS, about 50 miles outside of LA. He had been ranked as a sandwich or second round pick (#49 overall by Baseball America), but an Arizona State commitment, a high school marijuana bust, and questions about his maturity kept him on the board longer.

He played for the rookie GCL Dodgers in 2007 and started 2008 with the Class A Great Lakes Loons, where he was named a Midwest League All-Star. Lambo was promoted on quite a fast track to the AA Jacksonville Suns for a cup of coffee at the end of the year.

In 2009-10 he was with Class AA Chattanooga. He repped the Lookouts at the 2009 Southern League mid-season All-Star game, and Baseball America rated him as the organization's top outfield prospect of 2009.

He entered the 2010 season as the Dodgers' #7 prospect per BA, and things were lookin' rosy. But on May 1st, 2010, MLB suspended Lambo for 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance, identified as a non-PED "drug of abuse," thought to be weed. With that and continuing concerns about his attitude and maturity level, he and James McDonald were traded on July 31st to the Pirates for reliever Octavio Dotel. At first, J-Mac looked like a keeper; Lambo, not so much.

He struggled in 2011 at Altoona/Indy (.236, 11 home runs, 58 RBI) and then missed all but 35 games in 2012 with a hamate injury. “I wasn't mentally there,” he told Bob Cohn of the Tribune Review. “I didn't understand what was going on, wasn't playing the game the right way.” The epiphany had arrived.

Starting with the Curve in 2013, Lambo hit for the cycle on April 8th, 2013, and by early June he was promoted to Indy. He hit .284 with 24 doubles, 5 triples, 31 home runs and 97 RBI in 117 games between Altoona and Indianapolis, and would eventually be named 2013's Minor League Player of the Year by the Bucs.

His greatest recognition was when the Pirates announced in mid-August that he was coming up for his first taste of the show. He just turned 24, and the Pirates were looking for some pop in RF. Many thought he'd get an extended audition. They were wrong.

Jose Tabata came on strong in August, and then even he was planted on the bench when Marlon Byrd came to town. Lambo saw limited action as playoff races are rarely showtime for call-ups. In 33 at bats, he homered once while hitting .233, looking comfortable in the few opportunities he got. But those last six weeks didn't answer any questions regarding Lambo's future, other than indicating that he'll be with the big boys in the 2014 camp mix instead of on a bus criss-crossing Florida with the minor league group.

Defensively, he's a prototype left fielder, with at best an average arm and not much speed. In Pittsburgh, that makes you the right fielder, though his arm would be a concern. Then again, with Marlon Byrd looking for a sweet contract, Alex Presley gone, Travis Snider on thin ice and JT's inconsistent play, it may be his most likely landing spot. Lambo has played some first, though not very well. Whether that's due to inexperience - he's put on the mitt just 41 times in his minor league career - or iron hands isn't clear yet. That would also fill a hole in the Pirate dike.

It is a moot point except for team makeup; Lambo's value is on offense. The Pirates are hoping that his 2013 season on the farm is the result of growing up, not just an outlier year. It looks sustainable; his strikeout rate was about 25%, high but not outrageous for a power guy, with an acceptable 9% walk rate, which puts his usual OBP in the .340+ range.  

The question is how that will translate into MLB numbers. We didn't get much chance to find out in 2013; we'll get our chance to really evaluate Lambo next season.

Kris Johnson

LHP Kris Johnson was pretty much the "who he" guy among the late summer call ups. Well, he hit on hard times with Boston and is relatively unknown in Pittsburgh, but he is a pitcher with a strong pedigree.

When he was a teen working for Blue Springs High School in Missouri , he tossed five no-hitters and was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the 50th round of the 2003 draft. He passed on that and instead went to Witchita State, where his 2.01 ERA led the Missouri Valley Conference in his freshman year.

In 2005, the year before he was eligible to re-enter the draft, he underwent TJ surgery. It cost him a season, a few spots in the lottery and eventually his curve ball, but he came back strong and quickly. The Boston Red Sox selected Johnson 40th overall in the sandwich round of the 2006 draft and gave him an $850K signing bonus.

Johnson pitched through the Class AA levels successfully through 2008, (he was Pitcher of the Year in the NY-PA League for 2006 and an Eastern League Pitcher of the Week in 2008), and in the 2009 preseason was rated the #16 prospect in the Boston system per Baseball America, his third straight year as a Red Sox Top Twenty Prospect.

He started the 2009 campaign with the Red Sox AAA club at Pawtucket, just a step from the show. But instead of being his segue season, the wheels fell off as he was 3-16 and was sent down to the AA Portland Sea Dogs, where he went 0-3. His season ended with 3-16 record with a 6.35 ERA, and Johnson led the minors with most losses.

He spent the 2010-11 seasons with Pawtucket. Johnson put together a barely passable 6-13, 4.88 line in 2010, and after getting raked in a June, 2011 outing was released and finished the season with the indy Kansas City T-Bones.

The Bucs are always on the lookout for reclamation projects with a special jones for Red Sox prospects, and signed Johnson during the off season. He followed the same pattern; in 2012, he was sharp at Altoona, but had problems when promoted to Indy. Still, the Pirates signed him up again for 2013 and assigned him back to the Tribe.

Working primarily as a starter, he went 10-4/2.39 with a 1.172 WHIP there, a late but welcome breakout campaign. The knock against him had been that he was a nibbler, trying for chases rather than going after the more disciplined hitters in the upper levels. It showed in his walks per game, which ranged from 3.5 to 4.1 in his AA/AAA seasons; it was 2.9 at Indy.

On August 18th, 2013, Johnson was added to the 25 man roster and took his MLB bow against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pitched six frames of extra-inning relief that day against the Snakes, finally surrendering two runs in the 16th to take the loss. Kris was optioned back to Indy afterwards to bring up a fresh arm, but was quickly back with the first wave of September call-ups.

Johnson made his first start for the Pirates against the Cardinals on September 1st, replacing Jeff Locke. He was clocked, giving up five runs, but later redeemed himself with a couple of clean relief appearances.

He has a three pitch package: a two seamer that averaged 92, a slider/cutter, and a plus changeup. Johnson is historically a 50% GB pitcher that doesn't give up many homers; on the other side of the coin, he's not a strikeout guy and his control isn't consistent.

His 6.17 Bucco ERA was biased by his terrible outing against the Cards; his SIERA was 3.75 and his xFIP 3.95, neither brilliant but both workmanlike. Johnson started out as a pitcher without noticeable splits, but in the past couple of seasons has become more or less a LOOGY. That and the fact that like Brandon Cumpton, he gets easier to hit the second time through the order marks him as a bullpen candidate.

At 29, he's not part of the Pirates' long-term plan , but he could serve a purpose over the next couple of years. Johnson has two options left, and he's a southpaw in an organization that's not deep in LHP. Without too much pressure on the 40-man roster this season, he's got a good shot to be carried over (although certainly not a sure thing) and stowed away at Indy to serve, as he did this year, as an insurance policy for the MLB team.