Back to the mainland

There's some scuttlebutt surrounding the Pirates, though shockingly it's not in the free agent market.

Actually, for anyone looking for the Pirates to sign a free agent – don't. At least not until all of the big names (i.e. Teixiera, Rodriguez, Ramirez) are long gone. From there, teams will figure how much they have left to spend and the second-and-third tier guys will down to the Pirates' neighborhood.

These rumors once again surround trading shortstop Jack Wilson. Two teams are at the forefront – Detroit and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both have been in the running in the past and both are there once again.

It's been rumored that the Pirates want to trade for Marlins backup catcher Matt Treanor, then ship he and Wilson to Detroit.

Wilson's name has now resurfaced with the Dodgers. Wilson, who is to make $7 million in 2009 with a club option for 2010, has been rumored in a trade for shortstop Chin-Lung Hu. Hu batted .181 with no homers, 9 RBI in 65 games last season. In six minor league seasons, Hu had a .298 average with 37 homers and 225 RBI in 556 games.

Here's hoping Pirates' GM Neal Huntington doesn't overvalue Wilson, who is only 30 but whose play has slipped along with his health. This isn't late July and teams aren't going to be trigger-happy and overpay for a weak-hitting infielder with slowly diminishing range who has trouble staying on the field.