Pirates Will Be Busy At Meetings

[love_that_reefer]

According to the Beaver County Times, the Pirates could try to move Freddy Sanchez at next week's Winter Meetings.
Sanchez had a disappointing 2008 season and we've seen his numbers drop swiftly since 2006, but the Pirates will hope that potential suitors focus on his career line of .300/.336/.417. The 30-year-old will surely generate a few rumors.

The Pirates will listen to offers for Adam LaRoche, but the asking price is reportedly very high.
The Beaver County Times reports that the Bucs are seeking two top prospects. LaRoche, 29, batted .270 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI in 136 games last season, his best statistical performance since 2006. Still, it's highly doubtful they'd receive a pair of premier youngsters this offseason.

The Pirates are open to dealing left-handed reliever John Grabow this offseason.
There's always a market for left-handed relievers and the Pirates are likely to field some offers during next week's Winter Meetings. Grabow, 30, enjoyed a career year in '08, finishing with a 2.84 ERA and a 62/37 K/BB ratio in 74 games.

The Pirates are hoping that Ronny Paulino's strong showing this year in the Dominican Winter League will raise his trade value.
Paulino is batting .313 with six dingers and 16 RBI in just 16 games for Licey. The Pirates are comfortable with Ryan Doumit behind the plate and moved Paulino behind Raul Chavez on the backstop depth chart last season. Paulino's DWL stats are impressive, but winter league numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt. The Bucs might have a hard time finding a team that considers him anything more than a backup.

The Pirates have spoken with free agent pitcher Matt Clement.
Clement had an awful showing in the Cardinals' minor league system last year and hasn't thrown a major league pitch since 2006. He is building a home in Pennsylvania and shouldn't be hard to snag.

The Pirates finished dead last in the NL Central and seem to big players in the trade market this inter. Freddy Sanchez had a bad season last year after having three good seasons. In 2006, Sanchez won a batting title and he has a good glove at second. Plenty of teams are going to take good looks at Sanchez. The Padres, Brewers, Cardinals, White Sox, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Indians could be interested.

LaRoche's asking price has to come down in order for the Pirates to move him and his money. LaRoche isn't exactly the best first baseman in the league. I can see him getting back some quality players but not a club's top three prospect. The Giants, Orioles and Nationals might show some interest.

Any team could use Grabow and could be the most realistic trade bait for the Pirates. He is coming off his best year and his stock cannot get any higher.

Paulino is nothing more than a backup so they shouldn't expect anything good for him. Plenty of teams could use a backup.

The Pirates might be one team Matt Clement could reach the Majors through.

[CrazyEights]

The Pirates have spoken with free agent pitcher Matt Clement.
Clement had an awful showing in the Cardinals' minor league system last year and hasn't thrown a major league pitch since 2006. He is building a home in Pennsylvania and shouldn't be hard to snag.

I would hope he isn't hard to snag. He should be happy with a minor league contract in hopes of proving himself, even though it may not even be possible. I doubt any team will offer him more than a minor league contract now.