Pirates Rumors: Bucs Unlikely To Sign Paul Maholm, Dan Wheeler, Despite Interest In Both

Dejan Kovacevic reports that the Pirates have talked to Paul Maholm about the possibility of returning, but that it doesn't seem likely.

Management continues to seek to add to its rotation, but any additions probably will come from nonroster invitees or means other than a high-profile free agent ...

Neither side is closing the matter, but the Pirates seem largely set with their roster.

As I've written before, the Pirates' roster needs help. New addition Erik Bedard has plenty of talent, but he isn't a great bet to pitch more than 100 innings, due to his health. Charlie Morton is coming off offseason surgery. And Kevin Correia is really bad. Even the two remaining pitchers have question marks: James McDonald doesn't work deep enough into games, and Jeff Karstens was an afterthought until last season. Having someone like Maholm, who reliably eats innings, would stabilize the rotation to a great degree; it's a shame the Pirates aren't more interested.

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Via MLB Trade Rumors, the Pirates have also talked to reliever Dan Wheeler. However, they haven't offered him a major-league deal - and they shouldn't, because they already have plenty of righty relief depth. Wheeler is good enough to get a major-league deal from someone else, though, so I'd expect him to head elsewhere.

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