The deadline

What Dave Littlefield says:

The people we have out there in the trade market basically are viewed as extra pieces, quite frankly, as they are with our team right now. They're pieces that maybe can help as a bat off the bench or somewhere else.

What he means: I am going to attempt to try to trade a paperclip for a house, but I know I am not likely to end up with more than a handful of paperclips. This would seem to indicate that I don't think there's anything wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is insane.

Also, Paul Maholm has taken over for Jason Bay as the Pirates' player rep. This would normally not mean much, but rookie Maholm is going to have a quick wake up to the process, as a new CBA will be negotiated this offseason.