Pittsburgh
Pirates

"I think what baseball, and really all sports, are about is getting the most that you can out of your ability," Clement said. "I haven't done that yet, and it's disappointing to me. I know I'm a better player than what I've shown."

Clement is 26, and the superstardom that was predicted for him has been elusive. He has played in just 75 major league games, including none this year, and hit .237 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.

Clement batted .224 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 27 games with Class AAA Indianapolis after the trade. The plan was for Clement to join the Pirates in September and play regularly at first base, but that was scuttled when he suffered a strained muscle in his rib cage.

"The timing of the injury was very unfortunate," Clement said. "I was looking forward to making a good first impression. Now, I can't wait to get to spring training to begin making that impression."

The Pirates believe they can unlock Clement's potential. The Mariners, though, gave up on the idea of Clement being their catcher of the future last season, as he spent the year at Class AAA Tacoma before being traded. Rookie Rob Johnson unseated Kenji Johjima as Seattle's starting catcher.

--LHP Zach Duke, RHP Matt Capps, RHP Jeff Karstens and SS Ronny Cedeno are all eligible for salary arbitration, and the Pirates plan to tender all four contracts. Capps had a $2,425,000 salary last season, while Duke's was $2.2 million, Cedeno's was $822,500 and Karstens' was $401,500.

--CF Andrew McCutchen finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Florida's Chris Coghlan, Philadelphia's J.A. Happ and Atlanta's Tommy Hanson. McCutchen received two first-place votes and five seconds in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. 1B/OF Garrett Jones came in seventh, as he got two third-place votes.

--Steve Williams was hired as a major league scout after spending the last three seasons as Kansas City's assistant scouting director. Williams, 45, spent 10 years in the Royals organization. He has been in scouting since 1988, as he has also worked for Minnesota and Toronto.

BY THE NUMBERS: 2.14 -- LHP Donnie Veal's ERA for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League, as he had allowed five earned runs in 21 innings. He had a 7.16 ERA in 19 relief appearances for the Pirates last season as a rookie after being selected from the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel." -- RHP Craig Hansen, on getting news from the doctors that a nerve in his neck is starting to regenerate. The rare condition caused Hansen to miss the last five months of the 2009 season.

ARRIVALS: 2B Akinori Iwamura (trade with Rays), RHP Justin Thomas (claimed off waivers from Mariners).

DEPARTURE: RHP Jesse Chavez (traded to Rays).

FREE AGENTS: No one on the roster is eligible for free agency.

ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: RHP Matt Capps, SS Ronny Cedeno, LHP Zach Duke, RHP Jeff Karstens.

The Pirates will at least explore the idea of signing Duke to a multiyear contract. Capps, Cedeno and Karstens figure to return on one-year deals.

IN LIMBO: RHP Matt Capps and C Ryan Doumit will be used as potential trade bait, especially if the Pirates can get a decent package of youngsters in return. RF Brandon Moss likely will be traded if the Pirates acquire a power-hitting outfielder in free agency.

MEDICAL WATCH:

RHP Craig Hansen (nerve problem in neck) might not be ready for the beginning of spring training, he should be able to pitch at some point next season.

RHP Jose Ascanio (arthroscopic right shoulder surgery in October 2009) likely will be out until June.