Pittsburgh
Pirates

News: Aguero has been added to the Pirates' 40-man roster.
Impact: He pitched at three levels in 2009, topping out at Double-A Altoona. Aguero will turn 25 in December, so his window to make an impact with the Pirates could close fast if he doesn't pitch well at the higher minor league levels in 2010. In 84 innings of relief last season, Aguero had a combined 75:31 K:BB ratio while generating a 1.3 G/F mark in 39 appearances -- including three starts. 

News: The Pirates didn't add Ford to their 40-man roster, exposing him to the Rule 5 draft.
Impact: Ford struggled with injury once again in 2009. He actually was demoted midseason from Triple-A to Double-A. A 2006 third-round draft pick, Ford hit just .188 at Indy. The second baseman will be 25 years old in December and a change of scenery might do him some good. 

News: Morris was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster on Friday.
Impact: Morris went through a rough season in 2009, going 4-9 with a 5.57 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. After coming back from a midseason team suspension, however, he pitched much better. While his stock took a hit last year, Morris still has a chance to turn things back around and become a major league pitcher. 

News: The Pirates added Lincoln to their 40-man roster on Friday.
Impact: Lincoln advanced to Triple-A Indianapolis in 2009, going 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 42:10 K:BB ratio in 61.1 innings. He will battle for a starting rotation spot in spring training, but is more likely to come up sometime in June as the Bucs' most advanced top pitching prospect. 

News: The Pirates designated Thomas for assignment on Friday.
Impact: Pittsburgh claimed Thomas off waivers from Seattle in October, but decided to pick up pitcher Chris Jakubauskas from the Mariners on Friday. 

News: The Pirates designated Diaz for assignment Friday, removing him from their 40-man roster.
Impact: Diaz can hit for average -- he's batted .301 in the minors, .281 in the majors -- but he has no power and his fielding at catcher is below average. Pittsburgh moved him around the infield last season at Triple-A, but the team feels it has better alternatives. 

News: The Pirates added Hernandez to their 40-man roster on Friday.
Impact: Hernandez hit .262 with nine stolen bases in 17 attempts for Double-A Altoona in 86 games after coming over in the Nate McLouth trade. His performance was anything but impressive, but his ability to steal bases (or at least try to) and the fact he was dealt for a big name means that he'll likely get the chance to show he can play in Pittsburgh at some point. Hernandez will have to work on attitude and maturity issues before making the next jump. 

News: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates have designated catcher Robinzon Diaz for assignment. Diaz played in 41 games for the team last season.
Impact: Diaz was in an unfortunate situation in Pittsburgh, as he was behind Ryan Doumit and Jason Jaramillo on the depth chart, and out of minor league options. He filled in admirably while both catchers were down last season, as he hit .279 with 19 RBI in 129 at-bats. 

News: The Pittsburgh Pirates have designated pitcher Jeff Karstens for assignment, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Karstens was 4-6 with a 5.42 ERA in 39 appearances (13 starts) last season.
Impact: It looks like Karstens isn't in the future plans for the Pirates next season, which is a bit of a surprise. He is out of minor league options, which could have been a major reason why this move was made, but he will be in someone's plans next year. 

News: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates have claimed right-handed pitcher Chris Jakubauskas from the Mariners. Jakubauskas was 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 35 appearances for Seattle last season.
Impact: Jakubauskas struggled through injuries for much of last season, and he wasn't great when he did get on the mound. He made eight starts, so he could work out of the rotation or bullpen for the Pirates next season. 

News: Karstens was designated for assignment on Friday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Karstens was out of minor league options and the Pirates needed to clear space to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft, so Karstens will now be available to sign with other teams if he clears waivers. 

News: The Pirates claimed Jakubauskas off waivers from the Mariners on Friday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Jeff Karstens was designated for assignment to create roster room for Jakubauskas, who was 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 27 relief appearances and eight starts. Jakubauskas will likely slot into the bullpen for the Pirates next season. 

News: Pearce, who disclosed that he battled left patellar tendinitis (knee) during the 2009 season, will not need to undergo surgery, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Impact: Pearce, who has one more minor league option, is not allowed to take batting practice for another month. He'll need to do a lot better than the dreadful line of .206/.296/.370 in 165 at-bats he compiled in 2009 if he wants to stay in the majors. 

News: Clement has recovered from an oblique injury that cut short his season and says his chronically-injured left knee is also healthy, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Clement would like to give the catching position another shot in January's mini-camp, but he hasn't heard from management where he'll be playing. Pittsburgh would like to see him put in regular at-bats, and the best way for that to happen is to stick him at first base. As it currently stands, Clement will compete for the spot at first with Garrett Jones -- if the team finds itself full in the outfield -- and perhaps Steven Pearce, though Pearce, a free agent, performed poorly in an extended stint last September. 

News: Ascanio (shoulder) will remain limited to range-of-motion exercises for the foreseeable future, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Ascanio pitched for Pittsburgh just two times before undergoing major shoulder surgery last season. He hasn't suffered any setbacks since the surgery but has no timeline for a return. 

News: Milledge relayed on Wednesday that a hand injury that plagued him for the first couple months of the 2009 season hampered his power production, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Milledge says that his hand is feeling better now. "The hand was healed, but it took a while to start getting the strength back," he said. "A lot of it's back now, and it was coming back late in the season. They told me all along it was going to take about a full year for it to be all the way back, so that would be just in time for next season." Milledge looked like one of the Pirates' few major league caliber starters at season's end, finishing with a .291/.333/.395 line while improving his left field play. Even so, Milledge managed just four dingers in 244 official at-bats. 

News: The Pirates offered Capps to the Brewers in exchange for J.J. Hardy, according to an American League source, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: If this report is true, then it shows that the Bucs will likely be looking elsewhere for saves in 2010. Capps endured a campaign of terrifying proportion last year, finishing with a 5.80 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and .324 BAA. 

News: Meek (oblique) pronounced himself 100 percent healthy, though he remains listed on the 60-day disabled list, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Impact: It's hard to envision the Pirates entering the 2010 season with Matt Capps secure in his closer's spot, meaning that Meek and Joel Hanrahan both have chances to take away some late-inning time from Capps. Meek, who didn't pitch after Aug. 11 because of injury, compiled a 3.45 ERA and 1.34 WHIP to go along with an impressive .209 BAA. 

News: Eric Hacker has been designated for assignment by the Pirates, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Impact: Hacker failed to impress the Pirates with a 6.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP over three innings of relief in 2009.  

News: Virgil Vasquez has been designated for assignment by the Pirates, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Impact: Vasquez split the 2009 campaign between the Pirates and Triple-A. He held a 2-5 record and a 5.84 ERA over 14 appearances with Pittsburgh, seven as a starter. He was 7-4 with a 3.93 ERA over 19 outings (all starts) for Indianapolis.  

News: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that new Pirate second baseman Akinori Iwamura said in a conference call on Tuesday that he would be interested in exploring a long-term deal with the team. Iwamura played in only 69 games last season due to a knee injury.
Impact: Iwamura sounded excited to be with the Pirates, but what else is he going to say? He was in a great situation in Tampa, and now he is with a perennial loser in the Pirates. He should be in line for a bounce back season, however, playing in the National League. 

News: LaRoche will stay at third base following the acquisition of Aki Iwamura, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Impact: LaRoche spent the last month in the instructional league learning how to play second. Pedro Alvarez appears on a course to take over the hot corner in June next year, clouding LaRoche's future. Performance and injuries will likely dictate who plays at second and third base in 2010. 

News: Young figures to return to a bench role following the Pirates' acquisition of second baseman Aki Iwamura, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Young batted .316 as a pinch-hitter but stumbled offensively after becoming the team's everyday second baseman, finishing with a .224/.276/.332 line. 

News: The Pirates' trade for Aki Iwamura likely closes out any opportunity Young had to play every day in 2010. Iwamura will be the starter at second base.
Impact: Young finished the season in an offensive tailspin, perhaps prompting the Pirates to make this trade. His defense wasn't going to win him the job, most certainly. 

News: The Tampa Bay Rays have traded Iwamura to the Pirates for right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez. The deal was announced Tuesday night.
Impact: Iwamura hit .290 with one homer and 22 RBIs in 69 games during the final season of a $7.7 million, three-year contract he signed after playing in the Japanese Central League for eight years. The 30-year-old missed 81 games this season after sustaining partial tears of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee. The Rays held a $4.85 million option on the infielder for 2010. 

News: The trade of Chavez from the Pirates to the Rays was finalized on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reports.
Impact: Chavez will be under Tampa Bay's control through the 2014 season, and the club expects him to develop into a productive reliever. 

News: Iwamura's trade from Tampa Bay to Pittsburgh was finalized on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reports. The Rays got reliever Jesse Chavez in the deal.
Impact: The Pirates will eventually pick up Iwamura's $4.85 million option for the 2010 season, and he'll start at second base for the team next season. 

News: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reports that Akinori Iwamura has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Impact: It has not yet been reported what the Pirates are sending in return. The Rays are in cost-cutting mode, and the Pirates needed a second baseman, so this move makes sense all-around. Playing in just 69 games last season, Iwamura hit .290 with one home run, 22 RBI and nine stolen bases.  

News: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is "hearing" that the Pirates are part of the Akinori Iwamura trade discussions.
Impact: The Pirates had a gaping hole at second base last season after trading away Freddy Sanchez, and Iwamura and his economical $4.85 million option for 2010 would seem to be a good fit for the Bucs. Stay tuned.  

News: Chavez is likely to be sent to Tampa Bay for Akinori Iwamura and another player, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Chavez pitched 73 games in relief for the Pirates during 2009, and surrendered just a .228 batting average and 1.19 WHIP to left-handed batters. 

News: The St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are close to finalizing a deal that would send second baseman Akinori Iwamura out of Tampa.
Impact: The other party has not yet been identified. The Rays had no intention of picking up Iwamura's $4.85 million option for 2010, but that relatively cheap option was probably attractive to many teams looking to fill holes at second base. Stay tuned. 

News: Tampa Bay is close to completing a trade of Iwamura to the Pirates, the St. Petersburg Times reports.
Impact: Tampa Bay apparently doesn't want to bring back Iwamura for the $4.85-million option in his contract and will shop him this winter. He's a non-tender candidate if they can't find a deal. The Rays have just one day after the World Series ends to pick up his option or pay a $550,000 buyout. 

News: Veal was named the Arizona Fall League pitcher of the week, going 1-0 and throwing seven shutout innings in two starts.
Impact: He struck out seven and walked just two hitters, a positive sign for the control-challenged Veal. The 25-year-old lefty walked 20 in 16.1 innings for the Bucs in 2009 and will need to establish better command to make a major-league impact. 

News: The Pirates claimed Thomas off waivers from Seattle and added him to their 40-man roster, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Impact: Thomas went 2-4 with a 4.48 ERA and six saves for Triple-A Tacoma in 2009. He will likely compete for a bullpen spot as the organization really has no left-handed relievers at the major league level except for Phil Dumatrait -- and he's injury prone and sometimes starts. 

News: Yates has undergone right elbow surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Impact: Yates, out since mid-May, isn't expected to resume throwing for five to six months. His status for the start of next season is uncertain. The right-handed Yates attempted to rehabilitate an injury that was initially described as elbow inflammation, but was shut down last week after showing little progress. He had surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala. 

News: Yates has chosen to become a free agent after the Pittsburgh Pirates requested outright waivers on him. The Pirates apparently planned to offer Yates a minor league contract, but he preferred to seek work in another organization. Yates made $1.3 million this season.
Impact: Yates had Tommy John surgery in July to replace a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow for the second time in his career. He is not expected to pitch again until the middle of next season. Yates also had the ligament repaired in 2002 and needed major shoulder surgery in 2005. Yates, 32, didn't pitch again after being placed on the disabled list May 15 with a 7.50 ERA. He was 6-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 72 games with Pittsburgh in 2008. 

News: Yates (elbow) has chosen to become a free agent after the Pirates requested outright waivers on him, the Associated Press reports.
Impact: Yates had Tommy John surgery in July and is not expected to pitch again until the middle of the 2010 season. The Pirates were planning to offer Yates - who had a 7.50 ERA this season - a minor league contract, but he opted to hit the open market and look to catch on elsewhere. 

News: Baseball writer John Perrotto is reporting on Twitter that Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf finished the season two days short of earning his Super-2 arbitration status. Ohlendorf has is at two years and 139 days of service, and the Super-2 cutoff was at two years and 141 days.
Impact: Tough break for Ohlendorf, as he will now have to wait another full season befor becoming arbitration eligible. It has to be disappointing to miss the cutoff by two days, but he will be able to make it for one more season.