John Manuel, Baseball America, with Jeff Erickson on XM

Discussing Pittsburgh Pirates, any off season improvements will be realized more internally than externally. Both have confidence in Jim Tracy's ability to evaluate & make decisions. Lefty power hitters do better in this park making Jason Bay's accomplishments even greater. Farm hand Brad Eldred might've done as well as Sean Casey at a much lower price tag. They both love Jose Batista, John remarking how Dave Littlefield lost him in the rule 5 draft then had to scramble to get him back. John is a big Freddy Sanchez fan---he's injury prone but gets hits, is good at 3B, would've been a cheaper alternative to Joe Randa. Notes Jose Castillo has more offensive potential & hits better on the road. Jason Bay was great across the board last year, 44 doubles, 20+ sb's. Omar Minaya traded him from the Expos for nothing, & Pirates were lucky to stumble upon him. They have some good starting pitching & bullpen, like Oliver Perez, Paul Maholm, & Zach Duke. Jeff says the Pirates view Mike Gonzalez as their closer & believes Jim Tracy is good at choosing the right pitchers.

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