Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have acquired infielder Akinori Iwamura from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jesse Chavez. The announcement was made by Pirates Senior Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington.

By Chuck Finder Carlos Garcia adds another experienced baseball man to John Russell's staff," general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement announcing the move. "His years as a player, minor-league infield coordinator and major-league coach, combined with his energy and abilities as an instr...

The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that Carlos Garcia has been named First Base Coach for the Major League Club. He will also serve as the club’s Infield Instructor. The announcement was made by Pirates Senior Vice President and General Manager Neal Huntington, along with Manager Jo...

By Brian Tyler Yates was outrighted to Indianapolis, and then he decided he'd rather be a free agent]. Hooray, no more Flood Gates Yates, right? Maybe. [Neal Huntington said] that “We are in dialogue with Tyler in an attempt to keep him with the Pirates.”  All I will say about this is that I wouldn’t min...

By Charlie Anyway, when a general manager says that he'd love for a player who's been recently cut to return, it's often wise to just chalk that up to the GM being polite. But in this case, I think Neal Huntington really would love for Tyler Yates to come back. Since there certainly wouldn't be a major lea...

By Charlie P- The Padres have hired Red Sox assistant Jed Hoyer as their new GM. Hoyer interviewed for the Pirates GM job when it was open two years ago, and he inherits a desperate situation in San Diego, so it'll be interesting to see how his GM career parallels that of Neal Huntington.

By Chuck Finder Perry Hill, the infield instructor who recently parted ways with the Pirates, insisted he wants to continue coaching, contrary to a statement made Saturday by general manager Neal Huntington. I never said I didn't want to coach," Hill said this afternoon. "I just didn't want to be with Pit...

Joe Kerrigan just confirmed he will return as the Pirates' pitching coach in 2010. GM Neal Huntington said that part of the reason the team will not renew coach Rich Donnelly's contract for next year is that it plans to hire a second pitching coach to work under Kerrigan.  They will groom the...

By Dejan Kovacevic Neal Huntington said yesterday that Capps will be the closer next spring. gt;Notebook: Why is Frank Coonelly the only one vocally upset by the season? Huntington addresses the question. Also, Pedro Alvarez and Brad Lincoln win gold medals.

By Charlie By the way, this post is dedicated to Neil Walker, who earlier this year complained that players like him and the great Brian Bixler were getting the shaft while players acquired by Neal Huntington coasted through. Walker didn't use the word "scholarship," but that's the concept he was i...

By mondesishouse(noreply@blogger.com) The PG's Dejan Kovacevic got Never-Nervous Neal Huntington to lift the curtain on the Pirates' offseason plans, and the article sure made it sound like Ankiel and his .233 average will be a natural fit in Pittsburgh next season. Plus, his agent is Scott Boras, which makes this entire story a...

By Brian After that shortstop swap…they got these four guys for Ian Snell…a guy that virtually every person to inhabit PNC Park hated: BuccoFans.comBucs DugoutFake Neal Huntington (read this. Seriously.)North Side NotchThe Mc EffectThoughts From My CouchWHYGAVS Beat writers:

By Charlie Then, down the road, knowing the history of (Pirates General Manager) Neal Huntington and (Pirates Director of Player Development) Kyle Stark and the player development people they have in place now, there would be a lot of good things to come on the horizon. When we signed with the Pirate...

By Dejan Kovacevic A. The Pirates still are scouting him, including a visit from Neal Huntington, to get all the necessary information on him. gt;That On the Pirates feature is here. gt;Lots of Pirates fodder in Bob Smizik's inbox. gt;Mike Elek, one of our Web gurus, loves the Pirates anew.

By Dejan Kovacevic KOVACEVIC: If Burnett has been practically given a spot, Jason, that would be news to him. Neal Huntington has made clear again and again - including Sunday - that only three relievers are assured of jobs: Matt Capps, John Grabow and Tyler Yates. Burnett has been mentioned parenthetically...

By Chuck Finder BRADENTON, Fla. -- Now it's about the wait, and the weight, for Pedro Alvarez. However, general manager Neal Huntington made sure there was a proviso: Be sure to pack and carry with you the conditioning and physical-shape education gleaned here.

Both sides were realistic in their expectations," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "Both sides wanted this to happen. ... Pirates set to sign Maholm, Hinske Pittsburgh Post Gazette Pirates, Maholm reach agreement on extension Sports Network

By Dejan Kovacevic To understand the Pirates' thinking on the bench, as well as the bullpen, it is first necessary to know that Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington have a shared that each facet of the roster, with some exceptions, is like planting annuals in the garden: You hope they look great for a year, you e...

By Charlie BENCH C Jason Jaramillo, IF Ramon Vazquez, ??? AAA A hat tip to the commenters in the last Gonzalez thread, who got me thinking harder about this. Like WTM, I really don't understand the way Neal Huntington has constructed major league benches so far.

By Dejan Kovacevic Q: Why don't the Pirates sign John Grabow to a contract extension?  gt;Is tied with John Candelaria for 12th place in franchise history with 345 appearances, this in just five plus seasons. Be sure the Pirates like Grabow. Check out what Neal Huntington told me about him the other day.

By Dejan Kovacevic For all the talk here in the past few days about which Adam LaRoche the Pirates can expect in 2009, how about Freddy Sanchez? The Sanchez story also functions as a preview of PirateFest, including a candid assessment from Neal Huntington about why he looks forward to this weekend.

By sajit Of course this would happen in a country seized with cricket, a sport where only the wicketkeeper uses a glove. But the Pirates were pretty impressed. "The Pirates are committed to creatively adding talent to our organization," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Monday. "By add...

By Jeff Gordon “The Pirates are committed to creatively adding talent to our organization,” general manager Neal Huntington said Monday. “By adding these two young men, the Pirates are pleased to not only add two prospects to our system but also hope to open a pathway to an untapped market. We are intrigu...

INSIDE PITCH Teams could begin talking to free agents from other clubs beginning Nov. 14, but CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira won't be on the speed dial of Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. The Pirates are in yet another rebuilding phase and fully understand they are mo...

By Dejan Kovacevic Notebook: Free agency? Who said anything about free agency? Neal Huntington did. ... Also, Ronny Paulino sounds like a man who would rather be playing elsewhere. The Beaver County Times' John Perrotto puts the Pirates on "academic probation."

By Randy Linville So, go for it Neal Huntington: ink Bob Walk and let him pitch. The Pirates, as expected, have played poorly and are well below .500 on the year. Frustration has set in. Perhaps even some desperation. With desperation has come some inspiration. Former Pirate hurler and current broadcaster Bob Wa...

By Dejan Kovacevic Pirates 7, Cardinals 2: Only Doug Mientkiewicz can upstage everyone with an eighth-inning pinch-hit appearance in a five-run game. Also, Nate McLouth nearly hit one out of the stadium. Notebook: If there are "no scholarships," as Neal Huntington has declared, why is Andy LaRoche playin...

By Dejan Kovacevic Maybe it could be a healthy thing for the Pirates, I was thinking a couple days ago, that Frank Coonelly, Neal Huntington and John Russell and all the other people new to management experience something like this 10-game losing streak. Something that is so very Pirates.

By Charlie Pirates owner Bob Nutting was embarrassed by the vocal fan protest that followed the Wieters episode, and that contributed to his firing of Littlefield two months later. Even when Nutting hired team president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington in September, the Boras/...

By Matt Bandi It is possible that future draft picks and agents will notice this, and may come into negotiations with the knowledge that Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington are fair and straightforward negotiators. Obviously, Scott Boras likes to sit back and milk the trade deadline as much as possibl...

By mondesishouse(noreply@blogger.com) Even more on the Continuing Saga of Anthony Smith in today's PG. It's the story that won't die.--Sadly, Jeff Karstens proved last night that yes, he can give up runs. 5-1, Reds over Buccos.--Here's an interesting ESPN.com article on all things Neal Huntington. It's nice to see that the WWL still...

By Matt Bandi One opinion about this matter really irks me, though. I have heard many people say something along the lines of, “The Pirates have to sign Alvarez to prove to the fans that they are serious about winning.” Wrong. Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington owe nothing to the fans except sound and ratio...

By Pirate Blues The Pirates and Mariners have been talking for quite some time it seems as we heard Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington passed on a Jones-Morrow-Sherrill deal for Snell in December. Tim Murray, forever the hilarious Pirates fan.

By Pirate Blues Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington had a chance to add a quality player in Darin Erstad but for some reason passed on him at the same price Chris Gomez cost him. Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington had a chance to add a quality player in Darin Erstad but for so...