Around the League in 30 Days - Pittsburgh Pirates

The Bucs really do stop here, with here being last place. The "once proud franchise that featured the likes of Barry Bonds, blah blah blah." Forget the past and let's focus on present day. There are a couple of things to be excited about in Steel City that don't involve Primanti's. 1. Andrew McCutchen - stud OF that ranked towards the top in many offensive categories for rookies in 2009. 2. Pedro Alvarez - 2008 1st rounder that can rake. His future position is in question but with offensive ability like Alvarez has, the Pirates will find a position for him to hit from.

Additions: Aki Iwamura (comes over from the Rays to fill a middle IF void, also can hit at the top or bottom of the lineup), Bobby Crosby (who could fill a void off the bench at multiple positions),  Octavio Dotel (big improvement over the inconsistent Matt Capps), Brendan Donnelly (bullpen depth?), Neal Cotts (decent lefty out of 'pen), Chris Jakubauskas and D.J. Carrasco. With these moves, the focus was surely on bullpen depth for a pitching staff that needed the help.

Losses: Somehow Jeff Karstens got dumped from a pitching starved organization, not that he was great but letting any arm go seems interesting coming from this crop. It's also interesting to point out how many ex-Yankees' farm hands are in the Majors or AAA for the Pirates even w/Karstens gone.

Outlook: There are two McCutchen's on the roster and Daniel is poised to make some noise in 2010 on the hill for the Buccos. When Alvarez gets the nod, it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to MLB pitching but everyone agrees he is the real deal. It'll also be interesting to see where that leaves Adam LaRoche (assuming he hits at the MLB level). All that being said, it will be a VERY long season in Pittsburgh as they struggle to win 65 games and surely will finish in the basement.