GM Neal Huntington has to figure out how to keep the Pirates in the playoffs while still sticking to the budget restrictions he's given.
Between the free agency issues and arbitration cases, Huntington won't have many days off. The two commodities he needs most -- reliable starting pitching and a front-line catcher -- are difficult to get.
So many questions: Is Pedro Alvarez salvageable? If he is, can he play third base again? Has Josh Harrison turned a corner at 27, or did he have a dream season he won't duplicate? How do you fill a rotation that has a potential No. 1 in Gerrit Cole and a bunch of candidates for No. 5 with not much in between? Is Gregory Polanco a major league player? As arbitration likely pushes Mark Melancon toward $5 million, is he worth that? If not, who closes?
Russell Martin's anticipated free agent departure leaves a huge hole at catcher. A combination of Tony Sanchez and Chris Stewart won't come close to filling it. The Martin break-up is painful, but there's really no other viable choice. It's unlikely Martin has more than one solid season before age and the wear and tear of the position catch up with him. He could be the one who defies the odds, but the Pirates shouldn't take that gamble on the three-year contract he's certain to get.
Edinson Volquez had a better year than anyone could have anticipated, but it's not a good idea to bring him back. Francisco Liriano? Maybe.
Here's a suggestion if the Pirates decide to go bold: Consider trading Neil Walker. He's coming off his best season, so his value is high. The Pirates have never said so publicly, but they have no interest in doing a long-term deal with him. He'll hit free agency at age 31, which means he'll be allowed to leave. A balky back and limited defensive range are both factors. Contracts that start after a player is 31 usually buy only declining years.
Could Walker bring the kind of catcher the Pirates need? Could he be flipped for a quality starting pitcher? If the Pirates think Alvarez can move back to third, Harrison could go to second and the team could attack first base with an outside solution or its incumbent jumble of Ike Davis, Gaby Sanchez and Andrew Lambo.
Hurdle's hip will get better as the offseason progresses. Huntington's headaches will linger.
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--NO SURE THINGS
The Steelers play in Jacksonville today, and ordinarily a game against an 0-4 opponent would be a ho-hum, pass-the-Fritos, hey-what's the-4-o'clock-game? TV show.
But one of the effects of having a mediocre team is games that are supposed to be lopsided wind up being competitive. Who expected last week's outcome against Tampa Bay at Heinz Field? But it happened.
So keep the Rolaids handy and stick close to the TV. The Jaguars might make it a game.
By the way, those calling the Tampa Bay loss the worst in Mike Tomlin's tenure have short memories.
Back in 2009, a much more talented Steelers team blew a lead in the last two minutes at home against the 3-8 Oakland Raiders. Bruce Gradkowski did a Tom Brady imitation and led a winning touchdown drive right after the Steelers had taken the lead.
Even though it was the fifth time in six games that the Steelers had fallen apart in the fourth quarter, there was still plenty of shock value.
"Worst game under Tomlin" is a longer discussion than it should be.
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--CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS
The intrigue of the expanded baseball postseason is not only guessing which teams will win. It's also trying to find what second-rate cable channel might be carrying the games.
Two of Friday's games were on Fox Sports 1, which reaches fewer households than Animal Planet and Cartoon Network. Some of the games are exclusive to MLB TV, which lags behind Oprah's OWN and the Golf Channel in households.
Among Bud Selig's many accomplishments as commissioner: He's sent a lot of people back to their radios for postseason baseball.
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