Photos

Advertisement

PITTSBURGH -- Six days before the trade deadline, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has drawn a line in the sand as it concerns the bullpen corps.

If you want young guns Joel Hanrahan or Evan Meek, then you better bowl him over with an offer that he can't refuse. And you want veterans D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel or Javier Lopez, be prepared to offer an A level package in return.

According to league sources, the Colorado Rockies are among several teams that have sniffed around for bullpen assistance in recent days. They are believed to have targeted Meek and Hanrahan but may settle for Dotel at the right price.

Rockies players who might be of interest: middle infielder Jonathan Herrera and catcher Chris Iannetta.

The teams will open a series in Denver on Tuesday evening.

"I ain't goin' anywhere," Hanrahan predicted before the series finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon.

Said Meek, "I don't pay any attention to trade rumors. There's very little truth to them. That's why they're called rumors."

While Carrasco, Dotel and Lopez were far more likely to be moved this week, team management felt no urgency to trade any of them at this time.

The team has the option to retain Dotel next season. If the veteran is traded, then he owns the option. Carrasco and Lopez will be eligible for salary arbitration before next season.

"Carrasco and Lopez are guys that will draw interest, have drawn interest," Huntington said on his weekly radio show. "But they're also guys that we can keep here this year and next year because of their arbitration eligibility status. We can retain Dotel because of his option or we can choose to trade him. Each situation is independent."

That the Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays have received numerous calls in regard to their relief pitchers comes as no surprise. They are among the few major league teams that have a surplus of talent in that area.

"The bullpen market as a whole is not real strong for teams what are willing to trade relievers," Huntington said. "I've been told my multiple people that we've got come of the better chips out there, but we don't look to trade guys that can be here for multiple years."

Huntington estimated that 450 players had been discussed internally before the deadline.

SILLY SEASON: Huntington was frustrated and amused about the number of "silly" rumors that made the rounds in recent days.

Huntington cited a claim that Hanrahan could be headed to the Texas Rangers in return for highly regarded pitcher Neftali Felix, 21, who threw consistently in the upper-90s range.

"What we all need to keep in mind about sources is, I have been in the press dining room, where scouts love to sit around tables," Huntington said. "I understand how the rumor mill gets started. Sometimes guys almost love to have competitions among themselves.

"We love Joel Hanrahan. We love what he's done. He's a tremendous guy. To ask for a guy that is younger, already is pitching better and arguably is pitching in a more important role with more years of (contractual) control, I'm not sure why a scout would even start that rumor because it's silly," he said. "Most of these I'll laugh off, because it's somebody that doesn't know and runs his mouth. Whether it's a feeling of self-importance or illusions of grandeur, they give bad information. Then a reporter hears it from one person and maybe another person and runs with it."

According to Huntington, "Ninety-five percent (of the rumors) are inaccurate."

BEWARE OF KRATZ: Three days after his run-in with Milwaukee Brewers behemoth Prince Fielder at home plate, Erik Kratz still received calls and messages about it.

"Yeah, a lot of people were excited," he said. "They thought it was cool to see that."

For Kratz, better yet that he stayed on his feet after Fielder collapsed to the ground.

"As a catcher, it's cool to be the last guy standing," he said. "Normally, you don't see the guy or it's a bang-bang play and you get run over. I had a chance to brace myself, so it looked like he got the brunt of it. It was an exciting play, that's for sure."

That Kratz held his ground in the face of potential physical harm scored points with his teammates.

"Maybe this means more guys will come after me now," he said. "Or maybe fewer guys will come after me. You don't ever want somebody to come after you ever, because the majority of times, you will lose.

"I could have tried a swipe tag on him, but you have got to go into it full bore. You can't shy away from a play like that."

NEXT . . .: After a travel day, the team will open a three-game series versus the Rockies in Denver on Tuesday evening (8:40, FSN, WPGB-FM).

Zach Duke (4-9) and Jorge De LaRosa (3-2) are scheduled to start the opener.