Afternoon update

Wednesday, 28 November 2012 16:50

Written by Bill Brink

Some thoughts from Pirates general manager Neal Huntington on this afternoon's trades:

On Zach Stewart: "We've liked him as a prospect in the past. We've stayed with him. He's tried to make that transition from prospect to major league pitcher. We like his stuff, we like his versatility."

Stewart, Huntington said, could start or relieve.

On Vin Mazarro: "He does have two quality major league pitches. Ifwe can help him refine some things, he's got stuff to pitch in a quality role out of the bullpen and be more than that middle guy, that long guy."

It sounds like the Pirates think Mazarro, with a few tweaks, could fill Jason Grilli's role if he is not re-signed.

On Clint Robinson: "He's had a very impressive minor league track record overall. He's had two very strong years in triple-A. We've seen a guy whose bat and his power and command of the zone intrigues us. Just a guy that hasn't had much opportunity because he's had a very good player in front of him [Eric Hosmer]."

When asked if the moves would affect non-tender decisions, Huntington declined to comment directly, saying the process will play itself out.

Huntington also declined to comment on reports of the Pirates' interest in Russell Martin.

The Pirates also announced the hiring of four professional scouts, Ricky Bennett, Carlos Berroa, Ron Hopkins and John Kosciak.

Bennett spent the past two seasons as the director of professional scouting for the Houston Astros. Berroa worked for the Miami Marlins prior to joining the Pirates. Hopkins served as a national crosschecker for the Baltimore Orioles, and Kosciak spent 2012 as an area supervisor with the Astros.