Reserve infielder Matt Kata has refused his minor league assignment from the Pirates and he has become a free agent. Kata played in 47 games for the Pirates last year and he was 22 for 88 (.250 avg, .642 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs. The Pirates won’t miss Kata as players with his skill set are a dime a dozen.

This move was a head scratcher for the Pirates as Dumatrait stunk it up this season for the Reds. He started 6 games this season and he was 0-4 with a 15.00 ERA and a 2.83 WHIP! He pitched 18 innings for the Reds this season and he allowed 39 hits, 6 homers, walked 12 batters and whiffed 9. If Dumatrait ever pitches for the Pirates…..they are in deep, deep trouble.

Nyjer Morgan got his big chance in September and he ran with it. The 27-year old lefty swinging Morgan played in 28 games for the Pirates as a rookie and he was 32 for 107 (.299 avg, .789 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 4 triples, 1 homer, 7 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Look for the Pirates to give Morgan a chance to battle Chris Duffy and Nate McLouth for the starting center field job in Spring Training.

The Pirates have fired manager Jim Tracy after two years on the job.  He was 135-189 (.416%) in his two seasons in charge.  It’s hard to blame Tracy because it’s not like the Pirates gave him a lot to work with as they are still playing on the cheap.  The Pirates have now had 15 losing seasons in a row so it will be interesting to see if they can convince a good manager to take charge of the team.