The Pirates brought in Matt Morris to be the veteran teacher to the talented kiddie corps that the Pirates have in the rotation. Morris has a 121-88 major league record with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. The Pirates hope that Morris’ work ethic and pitching know how rubs off on the young pitchers in the rotation. Ian Snell is the only other righty in the rotation other than Morris and he really stepped up last season. Snell has a 24-26 record in his major league career with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Lefty Tom Gorzelanny has the best stuff of any of the pitchers in the Pirates rotation. He is now 16-16 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Gorzelanny has the potential to be the ace of the Pirates rotation in the near future. Paul Maholm is the crafty lefty of the rotation as he doesn’t have great stuff but he battles every night. Maholm is now 21-26 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in his major league career. Zach Duke exploded onto the scene in his first season in the majors but he’s battled injuries and he hasn’t adjusted back to the the batters in the majors yet. But, he has the talent to turn things around soon. Duke is now 21-25 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The young pitchers on the Pirates need to get more aggressive in the strike zone because the walks are killing them.

The Pirates have signed Hector Carrasco, Jaret Wright and Casey Fossum to minor league contracts. Carrasco is a 38-year old righty who is most effective working out of the bullpen. He pitched in 29 games (1 starts) with the Angels last season and he was 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Carrasco has now pitched in 648 games (10 starts) in his major league career and he is 44-50 with 19 saves, a 4.00 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Jaret Wright only pitched in 3 games (all starts) last season for the Orioles as he had a sore right shoulder. He was 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP for the Orioles last year. Wright has pitched in 226 games (171 starts) in his major league career and he is 68-60 with 2 saves, a 5.09 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. 30 year old lefty Casey Fossum was horrible with the Devil Rays last season. Fossum worked in 40 games (10 starts) for the Devil Rays last season and he was 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. Fossum has now pitched in 203 games (120 starts) in his major league career and he is 37-52 with 2 saves, a 5.46 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. These were nice low risk moves for the Pirates as these guys would help out with depth in the organization.

The Pirates have inked 29 year old righty reliever Mike Burns to a minor league contract. Burns last pitched in the majors in 2006 with the Red Sox and Reds. He has pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 0-0 with a 5.88 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Signing Burns was likely just a depth move for the Pirates.

The Pirates have signed Raul Chavez to a minor league contract. Chavez will likely start the season in AAA as he will be behind Ronny Paulino and Ryan Doumit on the depth chart of the Pirates. Chavez has played in 170 games in his major league career and he is 86 for 405 (.212 avg, .537 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 4 homers and 40 RBIs.

The Pirates have signed infielder Jose Macias and pitchers Elmer Dessens and Adam Bernero to minor league contracts. Macias is a 35-year old switch hitter who last played in the majors in 2005 with the Cubs. He will have a good shot of making the Pirates as he’s had a decent major league career to date. Macias has played in 659 games in his major league career and he is 422 of 1,646 (.256 avg, .669 OPS) with 201 runs scored, 26 homers, 173 RBIs and 43 stolen bases. 36-year old righty Elmer Dessens will also had a decent shot of making the Pirates Opening Day Roster. Dessens pitched in 17 games (5 starts) for the Rockies and Brewers last season and he was 2-2 with a 7.15 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. He has now pitched in 356 games (140 starts) in his major league career and he is 48-61 with 5 saves, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. 31-year old righty Adam Bernero is a long shot to make the Pirates. He last pitched in the majors in 2006 with the Royals and Phillies. Bernero has pitched in 150 games (37 starts) in his major league career and he is 11-27 with a 5.91 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.