Wednesday, 19 December 2012 01:37

Written by Michael Sanserino

As Christmas and New Years approach, so too does a dead period in the MLB calendar. While it is not quite like the quiet period during the World Series, major league teams typically refrain from activity around these two holidays. 

While Neal Huntington has said he is comfortable carrying entering arbitration with Joel Hanrahan (and, at the same time, he is comfortable with the team's internal options for the rotation), the Pirates are shopping Hanrahan.

This will be a good test for Pirates management. It appears they lack leverage in this instance, as it is no secret Huntington has bristled at the cost of closers via arbitration. The Pirates need to deal Hanrahan. And they need starting pitching help. So how long can the Pirates keep from blinking? Huntington was praised last season by Brian Cashman for holding firm in his pursuit of A.J. Burnett. The roles are different now, but it will be an important saga to follow. 

But, back to the calendar. This saga could continue well into 2013 if the Pirates and Suitor X (likely candidates include the Dodgers, Rangers) cannot come to an agreement in the next few days. And so we play the waiting and guessing game. 

That, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, can be tough for players. 

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Holiday Movie Countdown: No. 7

Michael: "Miracle on 34th Street" A fantastic movie, but I couldn’t find any good clips on YouTube. I did, however, find an awesome movie trailer, which is nothing like today’s trailers.

Bill: "Die Hard" Yes, PBC, it's a Christmas movie. It takes place on Christmas Eve, the limo driver plays "Christmas in Hollis," and Alan Rickman and company crash a holiday party. Still the best action movie of all time.