Pirates Rumors: Bucs Could Be After More Starting Pitching

Dejan Kovacevic writes that the Pirates could be in the market for another starting pitcher.

The Pirates still have money to spend, and I’ve heard that top priority is another starting pitcher.

This is buried in a blog entry, so who knows how serious the Pirates' interest is. Still, I hope this is right. The Bucs currently have Erik Bedard, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton and Kevin Correia penciled into their rotation. But Bedard is incredibly injury-prone, and Morton had hip surgery in October. And Correia just isn't any good. Brad Lincoln is a reasonable backup plan, but the Pirates could use another reliable starter. One wonders if the return of Paul Maholm might be a possibility, or if the Bucs could pursue a lower-tier pitcher like Jeff Francis. They've also been connected, here and there, to Edwin Jackson, but it's usually unwise to bet on the Pirates getting someone that good in the free-agent market.

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