Centerfield

Tike Redman says, "I am the man," as John Perrotto reports.

Dejan Kovacevic curiously calls Burnitz's decision to play for more money in Chicago a "snub." Maybe I was right about him. Either way, I don't know any Pirate fans who wanted him, so thank you Jim Hendry for making him a richer man.

Kovacevic outlines three options:

A handful of players who fit the Pirates' model are known to be available through trade. That includes three of note who are significantly younger than Burnitz, 35, and are on the block because of crowded outfields with their current employers:

Austin Kearns, 24, of the Cincinnati Reds has regressed slightly the past two seasons but already has 37 home runs in 253 career games. He will make $930,000 next season. The Reds are thought to be seeking a pitching prospect.

Aubrey Huff, 28, of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays has 86 home runs and 270 RBIs the past three seasons. He will make $4.75 million next season, $6.75 million the following season. The Devil Rays have asked for a top young starter and young infielder.

Eric Byrnes, 28, of the Oakland Athletics, hit .283 with 20 home runs and 17 stolen bases last season. He will make between $2 million and $2.5 million next season, pending arbitration. The Athletics want a young hitter or potential closer.

Asked if he would part with a pitching prospect -- the strength of the Pirates' system -- to improve the offense, Littlefield replied, "Absolutely. We realize, in our analysis, we've got more pitching at all levels than we do position players. Those types of things have been discussed, and I'm sure that will continue."

What the Pirates will not do, Littlefield said, is set aside leftover money from the 2005 budget toward future seasons. The team is on pace to have a payroll in the range of $33 million, well short of ownership's projected budget of $40 million.

Littlefield sounds like Cam Bonifay with that determination to blow through the available $7M.

If you could pick your poison of those three guys, who would you take?

Kearns has averaged 60 days per year on the DL the last three years. And he hasn't been able to duplicate his 2001 success. That said, if the Reds weren't saddled with Ken Griffey Jr., they might not be so impatient to give up on him. Being injury-prone is a bit like having a nasty platoon split. What pitching prospect would they take? As long as his initials weren't ZD or MG, I'd consider Kearns seriously - with the expectation that he would be on the DL for 60 games in 2005.

If the Devil Rays think Huff is worth Oliver Perez, they are out of their mind. Huff is a stud who would help us. He plays third base and first base, however. Since we can't push Ward to the outfield, this only helps the team in centerfield if they see Huff as someone who would release significant third-base playing time from Mackowiak, allowing Rob to play more center.

Huff is such a good hitter, though, I don't see a problem telling Wigginton or Ward to shove over and make room.

Byrnes looks like a good fit, but I'd think long and hard about parting with Mike Gonzalez for him. On one hand, Gonzalez is just a relief prospect. On the other hand, he's a really good one. Freddy Sanchez plus Mike Gonzalez strikes me as a high price for Byrnes. And the D'backs sound ready to take him or maybe another centerfielder off the market.