Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton will begin the season on the disabled list. This needn't be particularly alarming -- the Pirates won't need Morton until mid-April because of a couple early off days, and he wasn't expected to pitch before that anyway, since he had hip surgery in the offseason. He has pitched in Spring Training, so the Bucs' decision primarily appears to be about not rushing him back. If Morton's stay on the DL starts to drag on beyond mid-April, then it might be worrisome.
↵In the meantime, it appears the Pirates will take only four starters (Erik Bedard, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens and Kevin Correia) north out of Spring Training. That leaves open a roster spot for an extra reliever (perhaps Daniel McCutchen) or position player (maybe Matt Hague) who might not otherwise have made the team.
↵Also, reliever Juan Cruz, who had been a minor-league signee, has earned a roster spot and will be with the team coming out of camp.
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