Filling out the roster

One of the fun parts of spring is trying to guess who the last couple roster spots will go to. Every year a couple guys really shine in Bradenton and give the Pirates no choice but to bring them along for the ride, even when no one saw it coming. Last year it was Nate McLouth. This year, Brad Eldred is shaping up to be that guy. So let's break down the roster as it looks right now and try to figure out who's definitely coming north, who should be coming north, and who actually will be making the trek to PNC.

Definitely in: Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Jose Bautista, Jose Castillo, Chris Duffy, Ronny Paulino, Adam LaRoche, Xavier Nady (we'll assume he's healthy enough by the end of March given his fairly quick return), Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Salomon Torres, John Grabow, Damaso Marte, Matt Capps, Tony Armas Jr.

That's eighteen guys right there, leaving seven roster spots, probably three for the bullpen and four for the field (assuming a 12 man pitching staff).

The bullpen- I think we can fill this one in first, because it's less likely to leave controversy. I would guess the team will keep one of two between Shane Youman and Marty McLeary to fill the White Flag role on the team. I'd guess Youman if I was forced to hazard a guess. If BP Chacon doesn't make the rotation (and he won't), I'm guessing he'll be cut to save his salary and because he was a rather bad reliever in Colorado when they tried him in that role. From there, I'd imagine Sharpless, Bayliss, Kolb, and maybe Rogers and Juan Perez will fight it out for the last spot or two, we'll assume two for these purposes. I would guess Sharpless and probably Kolb. Sharpless because he's the local guy and Kolb because he's got good veteran-osity, though someone will have to be removed from the 40-man for Kolb.

The bench- We've already got Bautista assured of a spot on the bench. That's because Castillo will start, no matter what happens this spring. Next up is back-up catcher. Jim Tracy will carry someone other than Ryan Doumit. I can almost promise you this. So you can pick your poison from Diaz, Cota, and Maldanado. They're the same player under three different names. If we carry a back-up catcher not named Doumit, Doumit is going to have to fight for a spot. That means we've got three spots left and Doumit, McLouth, Matos, Hernandez, and Eldred to take them. We know Tracy will want to take Jose K and it's a good bet that he'll take Matos for his right handed grittiness. If that happens, either Doumit or McLouth starts the year in AAA and I murder someone. I'm hoping for more along the lines of what Dejan and Charlie want to see, Bautista in Jose K's role, Doumit as the sole back-up catcher, then Matos, McLouth, and Eldred all on the bench. Eldred can get some ABs against left-handed pitching, Matos and McLouth can spell people in the outfield, and Bautista and Doumit can play supersub, with Doumit mostly held for pinch hitting since he's the back-up catcher and has hamstrings made of glass. Will common sense prevail? I don't want to think about it.