Wednesday, 26 December 2012 10:29

Written by Michael Sanserino

It's no surprise to many of you that a winter storm is sweeping the mid-Atlantic and midwest right now, dumping snow and ice all over the place. 

But it is the calm before the storm for the Pirates, who in the next few days will officially announce a series of moves that will shakeup the roster -- a two-year deal with LHP Francisco Liriano and a trade that will send closer Joel Hanrahan to Boston. At this point, it is still unclear when these transactions will be finalized. 

There is still work to do in the Hanrahan deal, including figuring out the final pieces to the puzzle. But those will likely be finished in the next couple days. 

The larger question remains: How active will the Pirates be through the rest of the offseason. Signs suggest the team will try to deal Garrett Jones, but we'll probably have a better feel for that when the Hanrahan deal is finalized and Neal Huntington speaks publicly. 

Then there's the final spot in the rotation. Huntington has suggested this offseason the Pirates are comfortable with their internal options to fill the rotation. But he said that before the team dropped nearly $13 million to bring in Liriano. That said, I imagine the front office will be more comfortable with filling only one spot in the rotation with an internal option than filling two spots.