Trade frees $3M for 2005 payroll

Robert Dvorchak catches us up on this this and other details about the post-trade Pirates.

It sounds like the Pirates will acquire someone like Charles Johnson to catch. J.R. House can be returned to AAA and it sounds like he will return to AAA. Johnson's a guy who hit a ton when batting eighth or ninth in a loaded Chicago lineup. He's one of those guys that can surprise a team if they aren't paying a lot of attention to him as a threat. If you look at his three-year splits by batting position, you see he's only done regular 800 OPS service in the eighth spot. I doubt the Pirates could bat him eighth if they bring him in and pay him $1 or $2 million. His 2000 season - hitting at the bottom of a loaded lineup - and his 20-homer season as a Rockie will be two facts that will have him batting fifth or sixth or seventh for McClendon's team. And if pitchers key on him as one of the Pirates' main threats, they are going to beat him. That would be my expectation.

We can live with a no-hit catcher if he works wonders for the young pitchers. But Charles Johnson would come in with good-hit expectations and the odds are pretty good that he'll disappoint. I'd stay away from him if I was DL.