We're not just going to hand him a job

Some of this is bluster, some of this is saying the right thing to the media. But I don't doubt Mac means it:

"I don't think anybody in the organization would want to see [J.J. Davis lost on waivers]," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "But at the same time, he still has to perform and show that he belongs in the big leagues. We're not just going to hand him a job because he's out of options. Is that a factor? Yeah. Is it the deciding factor? No. How he performs is the deciding factor. He has to show us that he belongs."

I want J.J. Davis in PNC. He put it together in AAA last year and has earned a shot at the opening-day roster. I don't care what you think of the Pirates' chances against the Cubs, the Cardinals, or the Astros this year. Giving away playing time just because a player is "the future" or out of options is terrible management. It's bad for morale. It needlessly jeopardizes everyone's season. It sends a bad message - we'll lose now to win later - that erodes an organization's ability to compete in the long run. If you let the players know that winning now is not the most important thing - even in a rebuilding year - you put your team on the Arizona Cardinals career path. It takes all dignity from your established players and a rotting begins.

At some point Littlefield will trade an outfielder, perhaps for some more prospects, or perhaps to sweeten the nasty taste of Kendall's contract. It looks like the Pirates have crowded out J.J. Davis and Craig A. Wilson, but this isn't Houston, and the Pirates aren't paying $10M for a centerfielder like Biggio. No one is blocked the way Jason Lane was blocked the past two years.