26-year old lefty starting pitcher Zach Duke has pitched very well for the Pirates this season. He has started 31 games for the Pirates this season and he was 11-15 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Duke was outstanding as a rookie during the second half of the 2005 season giving the Pirates high hopes for him but then the roof caved in. From 2006-2008 Duke pitched in 85 games (84 starts) for the Pirates in which he was 18-37 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Hopefully the Pirates don’t trade Duke over the winter so they can see if he has really found himself because he has a nice upside.

22-year old lefty swinging 3B Pedro Alvarez is on the fast track to Pittsburgh due to the failings of Andy LaRoche so far. Alvarez was the Pirates’ top prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 126 games in A+AA ball this season and he was 134 for 465 (.288 avg, .913 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 27 homers and 95 RBIs. Alvarez struck out 129 times this season but he also walked 71 times showing that he’s not a complete hacker. The Pirates will probably give Alvarez a shot to win the starting 3B job next spring.

The Pirates have claimed 25-year old righty reliever/starter Anthony Claggett off waivers from the Yankees. He pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Yanks this season and he was 0-0 with a 33.75 ERA and a 5.63 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 11 hits (2 homers) in only 2 2/3 innings this season while walking 4 batters for the Yankees. Claggett was better in the minors this season which is likely why the Pirates are taking a chance on him. He has pitched in 39 games (5 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 7-7 with 4 saves, a 3.07 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. This is a low risk move for the Pirates who need all the help they can get.

24-year old righty swinging outfielder Lastings Milledge has been solid for the Pirates since coming over from the Nationals. He has played in 45 games for the Pirates this season and he is 51 for 166 (.307 avg, .748 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 15 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Pirates believe that Milledge has a higher upside than Nyjer Morgan who they traded for him and they better be right.

25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brandon Moss was supposed to replace Jason Bay in the starting lineup but he hasn’t played well. Moss has played in 121 games for the Pirates this season and he is 86 for 350 (.246 avg, .691 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 7 homers and 36 RBIs. The Jason Bay trade keeps looking worse by the day.