The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic is reporting ($$$) that the Pirates are interested in free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, though there is no word yet on what the club's interest level is.
This is a curious development as the Pirates are believed to be looking for a defensive upgrade on current shortstop Ronny Cedeno. Though Cabrera had a better fielding percentage last year with the Reds, Cedeno's range numbers are considerably higher than Cabrera's at this point. At best, Cabrera is probably no better in the field than Cedeno, if not worse.
That said, he probably represents a marginal upgrade at the plate and has a history of being a winner. He's played for several division champs in the last few years, including the Angels, White Sox and Reds.
As with anything in free agency, Cabrera could be a nice addition for the right price. Anything more than two or three million, though, is probably excessive. If completed, this deal would likely be pretty similar to the Bucs signings of Ramon Vasquez and Bobby Crosby in recent years. The club ended up dumping Vasquez but got catcher Chris Snyder in a trade that included Crosby, so you never know how these things can end up.