When is the news not the news?

I know that the lack of any Pirate-related news recently has made us incredibly news-hungry, but I'm not sure that Yoslan Herrera and Marino Salas being removed from the 40-man roster is news or "something that was incredibly inevitable." I guess it's less inevitable than the release of Franquellis "Wreck Specs" Osoria, because I didn't even mention that (hat-tip to Charlie for finding that link, which I would've never noticed on my own).

I don't actually have a lot to say about this move, except to note that it's made possible by Huntington increasing the pitching depth at the trade deadline last year. Of course, he also traded for Marino Salas, so I guess that mitigates things a little bit. By my count, there are 38 guys currently on the 40-man roster with Doug Mientkiewicz, Chris Gomez, and Jason Michaels (potential free agents) all coming off shortly and Tom Gorzelanny and Phil Dumatrait (on the 60-day DL) likely having to be re-added sometime soon. That allows for three roster spaces without having to shuffle anyone around, as well as guys like JVB and Dave Davidson, who can be removed without any problem. There are a few guys (Jose Tabata included) that need to be added to keep them out of the Rule 5, but the Pirates should have no problem doing that with the roster configured the way it is right now.

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