23 June 2007

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pirates GM Dave Littlefield has inquired about the availability of Braves catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Reports had said that the Braves were not listening to offers before but this article has the Braves price at frontline starting pitching and it's safe to assume that it would take a young top of the rotation starter to get a deal done. I had speculated on Zack Duke before but these criteria narrow it down to either right-hander Ian Snell or southpaw Tom Gorzelanny. The Pirates were reportedly reluctant to move a starter over the offseason when the Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh rumors surfaced. Littlefield had to know the price before he asked, so maybe the emergence of John Van Benschoten has changed his tune in regards to his prized starters. Ronny Paulino has been awful along with basically the entire Pirates offense so I can see the need here. The Pirates aren't going to be able to win unless they can patch together a decent lineup and the top trading chips they posses come from a very deep rotation. Gorzelanny would probably be the most sought after by the Braves since he is a bit younger and a lefty. This is one of the few trade scenarios I see as a possibility for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Two starters, both 25 or under, and both not even into arbitration yet.