Hopefully this means a trade is coming

The Bucs have picked up Damaso Marte's option and hopefully the next step from here is a left-handed reliever getting traded. If DL can convince teams that Marte had a good 2006 (read: to ignore his 1-7 record) Marte might bring a decent return in a trade, especially priced at $3 million for one year on a market where Justin Speier is worth $18 million over four. The rest of the article talks about other choices the Pirates are faced with including extending Freddy Sanchez through his arbitration years (something I hope they're not spending too much time on right now as it's not exactly a pressing matter) and deciding whether to tender Chacon or not. I'd imagine that will depend greatly on whether DL pulls the trigger on a trade involving a starter. If he does, he might have the cash on hand for one starter on the market but he almost certainly won't have the money for two. As much as it pains me to say this, Chacon actually seemed to be improving under Colborn after he got here and at around $4 million, well, I doubt we could pull more on the free agent market.