Vogelsong to the rescue?

Ed Eagle at MLB.com reports a Reed vs. Vogelsong vs. Burnett competition for the “No. 5 spot.” As John Perrotto reports for the Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times, Littlefield says this when weighing the choices of Reed, Vogelsong, and Burnett for the rotation:

"Is Reed still got something left? Can he stay healthy? Is Vogelsong ready to start at the big league level now? Certainly, he's closer than Burnett is. What about trade possibilities out there?" Littlefield said.

If Vogelsong is closer to starting at the big league level than Burnett, what is Burnett still doing with the big club? Is this a sign that the Pirates would refuse to field an all-right-handed rotation? In that case, perhaps Sean Burnett is competing with Oliver Perez, or just getting ready as the backup left-handed starter. If Burnett is not competing with Reed, is Vogelsong competing with Reed?

Let’s consider one more quote from another John Perrotto piece which reports these words as falling from the lips of David Littlefield:

"We're always considering ways to improve our ballclub," Littlefield said before the Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in an exhibition game at Hammond Stadium. "Relief pitching is obviously an area we would consider upgrading. We're going to take 12 pitchers north with us, so we're going to need more than a few pitchers to start performing well.

"We'll be looking to see what's out there. We'll look at any trade possibilities and also what pitchers might be out when teams continue to cut their rosters."

So Littlefield is exploring trades or trying to get the word out that he would like to see some trade offers. But, is this the way Littlefield communicates with other GMs - through the Pittsburgh newspapers? I think it's more likely that Littlefield is saying such things to get some leverage with the players. "Things are pretty tough, and I'll make trades if I must to get the mix we need."

Seriously, is he shopping Ryan Vogelsong, as the first quote suggests? Is Vogelsong still with the club because other teams are scouting him? Somehow I doubt that the Braves were calling to ask for Ryan Vogelsong in the days before finishing that Juan Cruz trade. Given that Vogelsong projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter, I also doubt he’s the kind of player too many teams would like to add to their rotation ten days before the season starts. I don't believe it. What message is Littlefield sending to Vogelsong with such talk, then?

Littlefield says we are going with 12 pitchers, and that the bullpen is a mess, and that the bullpen will only consist of pitchers who are performing well. He’s ready to add players off waivers. On one hand, we have this guy who is doing great and looks ready to start at the big league level. On the other hand, the bullpen is an urgent disaster. Translation: (David to Ryan): if we don't have bullpen pitchers who pitch as well as you, we'll be eating dog food and living in a cardboard box.

Is Littlefield hoping that Ryan Vogelsong will volunteer for bullpen duty? Wouldn't that solve a lot of problems?

They will lose Reed if they don’t take him north. Unlike Daryle Ward, Reed can refuse a minor-league assignment and become a free agent. In a perfect world, Reed would volunteer to work in long relief and give up any claim he has on the fifth starter’s spot. But I don’t think that will happen since Reed seems to be thinking that his struggles are just rustiness that will come off as he gets into shape.

Earlier I suggested Brian “Estaban Loaiza” Meadows for the fifth spot, but perhaps they are thinking that if we make that move before we lose a starter to trade or injury, then we are going into the season without that insurance or depth in the rotation. Meadows could start a game on five minutes’ notice. It makes sense to wait as long as possible to take him out of his swingman role.

To sum up. The rotation is going to be Wells, Benson, Fogg, Perez or Burnett, and Reed. Ideally you would prefer Perez since his style is so different from that of Fogg and Reed. Burnett is something of a soft-tosser: think Mark Buehrle as the best-case scenario. Barring sudden injuries, Vogelsong should move into the bullpen, where he could be a savior. It may be smarter to return Fogg to the bullpen and give Vogelsong the third starter’s spot, but I don’t see that happening. If Fogg gets hurt, is ineffective, or if Benson is traded, Vogelsong could return to starting if the Pirates were using him in long relief. Vogelsong could even be considered for closing if Mesa implodes and explodes in alternate save opps for a month or so. Since he just came off Tommy John surgery, perhaps short relief would be good for his arm. Works for John Smoltz, right? Either way, I think the current storm about not having enough good pitchers in the bullpen is a roundabout way of asking Vogelsong to volunteer for a relief role.

… update: Right after I wrote this, I found Robert Dvorchak’s Friday article posted on the same subject. Dvorchak gives some play to the possibility of a trade and he also sees a bullpen assignment as a possible solution. He quotes Reed hedging on the question of whether or not he’d accept a bullpen role.