Paul Maholm News

Starting Pitcher: Oliver Perez, 2003-2006 Relief Pitcher: Mike Gonzalez, 2003-2006 Anyone that follows me on Twitter knows I struggled with this one.

Make no mistake about it. Manager John Russell expects more from his club in 2010.

And then there were three. Neal Huntington has stated several times that it never has entered his thinking to purge the Pirates of players acquired by his predecessor, Dave Littlefield .

For some major-league clubs, the Winter Meetings are a time to swing a blockbuster trade or ink a marquee free agent.

INDIANAPOLIS ? Pirates left-handers Paul Maholm and Zach Duke have drawn considerable interest from other teams at the Winter Meetings.

On paper, the Pirates had another quiet day at the Winter Meetings. However, don't mistake a lack of confirmed transactions, signings or trades as a sign that general manager Neal Huntington didn't remain busy.

A big splash by the Pirates? Of Major League Baseball's 30 teams attending the Winter Meetings that begin this morning at the Indiana Convention Center, it is safe to say that the one from Pittsburgh is seen as least likely to raise an eyebrow, much less a fuss.

AZ Hardball is a site dedicated to baseball enthusiasts in the state of Arizona.

After Donnie Veal followed up his nightmare Rule 5 season with a sparkling performance in the AFL, the reviews of his AFL season ran the gamut from people saying things like he looked as good as he did when he was a top prospect with the Cubs circa 2006/2007 and people saying that despite his stellar performance, it would be hard to really change ...

Former Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer did not play last season due to various medical ailments.

With expectations low for the Pirates' level of activity at the Winter Meetings next week in Indianapolis, it could be that their biggest splash will come from that grand leftover pool known as the Rule 5 draft.

Pittsburgh not only had a bad major league team, but it also had little talent in the farm system.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen finished fourth in National League rookie of the year voting behind winner Chris Coghlan of the Marlins.

Once upon a time, in the early days of WHYGAVS, there was a pretty heated debate between myself and some of the commenters about Jason Bay's value on defense.

Apparently, I underestimated how many questions would pour into my inbox this past week.

Perry Hill's work with the infielders was well received, but it didn't translate into a second season.

Can we be encouraged that Perry Hill and the Pirates are still talking? If his major issue was that the center of the infield was traded, there is not really anything to discuss since that can't be changed.

CINCINNATI ? When Thursday night's game against the Chicago Cubs was rained out, it cost Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm a chance to finish the season on a positive note.

McCutchen, the Pirates ' top draft pick in 2005, played well enough this summer to rank among the top Rookie of the Year candidates.

Write your own caption. Browse more photos>> Not the kind of October baseball we wanted, of course, but here it is October and the Cubs are still playing baseball.