The Pirates have acquired 23-year old lefty Shawn Nottingham from the Indians for a player to be named later. Nottingham pitched in 33 games (14 starts) in A+AA ball last season in which he was 3-6 with a 5.38 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. He doesn’t appear to have a really high ceiling but the Pirates are willing to take a chance on him.

The Tigers decided to return Rule 5 Draft pick 26-year old lefty Kyle Bloom back to the Pirates. Bloom pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Tigers this spring and he was 0-0 with 1 save, a 8.44 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He also pitched in 28 games (22 starts) for the Pirates in AA-ball in which he was 5-8 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.

25-year old righty swinging 3B Andy LaRoche needs to step up in 2009 if he’s ever going to be a quality baseball player in the majors. He came over in the Jason Bay trade last season and he has failed to impress. He played in 76 games for the Pirates and Dodgers last season in which he was 37 for 223 (.166 avg, .508 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 5 homers, 18 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Pirates hope that LaRoche will produce like his brother Adam at the other side of the infield in 2009. He also needs to improve on defense as he made 10 errors in 59 games at 3B last season while showing good range.

Ramon Vazquez will likely take over 3B duties if LaRoche fails again in 2009. He played in 70 games at 3B last season for the Rangers making 10 errors while showing below average range. Eric Hinske was also signed over the winter and he played in 8 games at 3B for the Rays last season making no errors while showing poor range.

The future at 3B probably belongs to the Pirates’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America, Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez signed too late to play in the minors last season for the Pirates but he has a huge upside. He will likely be on the fast track to Pittsburgh.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D-

31-year old righty swinging shortstop Jack Wilson is the perfect example of why the Pirates are run poorly. When you only have so much to spend on ball players you don’t make paying a defensive player a huge priority, but the Pirates did. They have been trying to trade Wilson for going on two years now but no one is willing to pay the man except the Pirates. Wilson played in 87 games for the Pirates last season and he was 83 for 305 (.272 avg, .660 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He was outstanding as usual in the field showing out of this world range while making 5 errors in 80 games at shortstop for the Pirates. We’ll see if Wilson is the starting shortstop all season for the Pirates or if he’s traded at some point in 2009.

If Wilson is moved, Ramon Vazquez who be the likely replacement. He played in 26 games at shortstop last season for the Rangers and he made 3 errors in 26 games there while showing outstanding range. He’s also a pesky hitter.

26-year old righty swinging Brian Bixler is likely third in line for playing time at shortstop. He was overwhelmed at the major league level playing in 50 games and going 17 for 108 (.157 avg, .423 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 RBIs and a amazing 36 whiffs. He also looked nervous in the field making 8 errors in 39 games at short for the Bucs while showing outstanding range. Bixler also played in 86 AAA games last season and he was 90 for 321 (.280 avg, .748 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 7 homers, 36 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

25-year old righty swinging Luis Cruz fared a little better than Bixler in Pittsburgh last season. He played in 22 games for the Pirates last season and he was 15 for 67 (.224 avg, .547 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He was good in the field too as he only made 1 error in 20 games at shortstop for the Pirates while playing 20 games there. Cruz also played in 137 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 138 for 495 (.279 avg) with 60 runs scored, 9 homers, 61 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

31-year old righty swinging 2B Freddy Sanchez had an off year last season due to a lingering injury. He also heard his name in trade rumors all winter….but he remains a very important Pirate for 2009. He played in 145 games for the Pirates last season and he was 154 for 569 (.271 avg, .669 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 9 homers and 52 RBIs. Sanchez is a much better hitter than that. He didn’t take his struggles into the field as he only made 7 errors in 131 games at 2B while showing good range. Look for a solid all-around season out of Sanchez in 2009.

32-year old lefty swinging infielder Ramon Vazquez came to Pittsburgh as a free agent over the winter. He will backup Sanchez, Jack Wilson at short and he could wind up starting at 3B if Andy LaRoche continues to fail. Vazquez played in 105 games for the Rangers last season and he was 87 for 300 (.290 avg, .795 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 6 homers and 40 RBIs. He played in 11 games at 2B last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing out of this world range.

26-year old switch hitting Ruben Gotay was also signed in the off season. He played in 88 games for the Braves last season and he is 24 for 102 (.235 avg, .665 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. He only played in 3 games at 2B last season for the Braves and he didn’t make any errors while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B