The Pirates did not make any major moves at the winter meetings, though that wasn't necessarily a surprise.
Shortstop Jack Wilson did not attract the trade interest the Pirates had hoped, and neither did first baseman Adam LaRoche nor second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Meanwhile, general manager Neal Huntington did not receive any overwhelming offers on players he does not necessarily want to trade such as left-hander Paul Maholm, closer Matt Capps, catcher Ryan Doumit and center fielder Nate McLouth. Thus, the Pirates left Las Vegas having only traded backup catcher Ronny Paulino to Philadelphia for minor league catcher Jason Jaramillo and selected left-hander Donnie Veal from the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft.
Jaramillo will battle fellow rookie Robinzon Diaz for the job as backup to Doumit behind the plate. Jaramillo, 26, hit .266 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 115 games for Class AAA Lehigh Valley last season. Pirates manager John Russell is familiar with Jaramillo, ranked as the Phillies' 10th-best prospect by Baseball America going into last season, after managing him at Class AAA Ottawa in 2007.
"He is a switch hitter with some pop in his bat and is also good defensively," Huntington said. "We feel like he is someone who can definitely strengthen our bench or at least provide depth at Class AAA next season."
Veal, 24, is a bit of a long shot, as he struggled in the minor leagues with his control last season, going 5-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 29 starts for Class AA Tennessee. He walked 81 and threw 18 wild pitches in 145 2/3 innings. Veal was considered the Cubs' No. 6 prospect according to Baseball America prior to last season. The Pirates must keep Veal on the major league roster all season or offer him back to the Cubs for half the $50,000 draft price.
"It's a lightning-in-a-bottle pick," Huntington said. "Generally, you're either taking somebody who can fill a role on your club right now or someone who projects as a potential star down the road. It's a bit of a gamble to see if he can stay with us all season, but he is talented enough that we felt we needed to take him."
