Craig Wilson (OF), PIT

News: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Seattle Mariners have long held interest in the Pirates' Craig Wilson, and a deal may be near for the Mariners' Joel Pineiro.

Views: Despite being one of the Pirates' best and most versatile players, the Pirates have been wanting to deal Wilson for the entire off-season because he will become a free agent at season's end. The Pirates desperately need a veteran starter, and, despite being only 27, Pineiro would fit the bill as four of the five players in the Pirates' rotation is 24 or younger. He has made 123 career starts and averaged 184 innings the past four years. Pineiro has had shoulder trouble in the past, and his salary is almost twice that of Wilson's, but it would be a reasonable move for the Pirates.

However, the move isn't as reasonable for the Mariners. They don't really have a replacement for Pineiro and they don't have any starter spots available for Wilson. He would be in the same situation he's currently in in Pittsburgh. But any team would be crazy not to want Wilson, so he would be a great add to the Seattle bench -- just maybe not for a solid innings-eater like Pineiro. Makes you wonder if something is seriously wrong with Pineiro.

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[1] by mpriest13 on 03/30/2006 05:10 am

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I think this would be a complete disaster for the Mariners...how many OFers do they need...

[2] by maddirishman on 03/30/2006 06:16 am

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Especially giving up Pineiro. He has way more upside than Wilson.

[3] by quiksilver on 03/30/2006 07:17 am

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I don't know why the Mariners would do this either but maybe they want to open up a spot for Madritsch or Nageotte to step into the rotation, or maybe even try out Soriano there again...Soriano is 99% unlikely to be a starter but I'm just trying to look at it through the eyes of the Mariners organization. They could want to open up a rotation spot for someone and are hearing offers for Piniero, and this is one of the better ones they got?

EDIT: Well, I didn't realize Madritsch is no longer with Seattle, and on top of that he is recovering from shoulder surgery and on the 60-day DL right now lol. Well now I really don't see the reasoning behind the deal