As for Brandon Moss, it’s disappointing to say the least.  When he was acquired from Boston in the 2008 Jason Bay trade, everyone had high expectations of his potential as a solid defensive outfielder who hit for power.  Its not entirely relevant, but he always seemed like a very down to earth likable guy to me, who just wanted to do his best and succeed.  Back in February, there was this post-gazette article that talked about Moss’ knee problems last season, and you had genuine hope that he would break out this season.  Then he went 3-37 this Spring, including an 0-22 start, and all that hope went away.  I still thought he may make the team and be given one more chance, but with this move, that won’t happen.  Moss will likely either be traded, or claimed by another team on waivers within the next 10 days.  On the off chance that he does clear waivers, he could be sent to AAA, but that doesn’t seem very likely given how much potential he has.

Its also worth noting that this move means that Rule V pick John Raynor will almost definitely be on the opening day roster.

With PirateFest now in the past, and pitchers and catchers reporting in just 13 days, I think its safe to call this the unofficial end of the off-season.   Lets take a quick look back at what has gone on over the last 4 months.

• October 4, 2009:  The Pirates end their ignominious 17th consecutive losing season with a loss to the Cincinatti Reds, their 99th of the year.
• October 17, 2009: The Pirates announce that Perry Hill will not return as their infield instructor in 2010.  He would eventually be replaced by former Bucco Carlos Garcia.
• November 3, 2009: Second baseman Akinori Iwamuri is acquired from the Tamba Bay Rays in exhcange for relief pitcher Jesse Chavez
• December 10, 2009: In the Rule V draft, held annually at the winter meetings, the Pirates select OF John Raynor from the Florida Marlins.
• December 12, 2009: Former AL ROY Bobby Crosby signs a deal with The Pirates.  Crosby is expected to back-up incumbent Ronny Cedeno, with the chance to win the starting job in Cedeno struggles.
• December 13, 2009: In a surprise move, The Pirates opt not to tender closer Matt Capps a contract offer by the midnight deadline, making him a free-agent.  Capps would eventually sign a one year deal worth about $3.5 Million with the Washington Nationals.
• January 13, 2010: Free agent OF Ryan Church agrees to terms with the Pirates.  Church will be the Pirates 4th outfielder, but will likely get plenty of at bats backing up all 3 outfield positions.
• January 16-20, 2010: After losing Capps(voluntarily so) earlier in the off-season, GM Neal Huntington made a flurry of moves within a matter of just a few days to revamp his bullpen by signing D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel, and Brendan Donnely.

While I can’t claim to know much about him yet, based on his numbers he looks like a speedy outfield guy who can play center field or on a corner, hit for a good average and steal a few bases.  Given that he has to stay on the Pirates 25 man roster all season, and can’t just be hidden at the back end of the bullpen like we saw with the Donnie Veal experiment this past season, this pick signals that the Pirates think Raynot can make the team in the spring as a reserve outfielder/bench bat.  This jives precisely with Neal Huntington’s comments after the draft.  (from the post-gazette)

“John Raynor is an athletic outfielder, with some threat at the plate,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “He has the speed and defensive capability to play all three outfield positions and has the upside to project as a potential everyday outfielder in the future. He will compete for a bench role in spring training.”

In addition to Huntington’s comments, ESPN analyst Keith Law posted on his twitter account this morning that Raynor has “a chance to be more” than a fourth outfielder.

This pick fills the Pirates 40 man roster up once again, so if the Pirates wish to sign any other free agents, they will have to drop someone.  As far as what this pick means for 2010, I think its pretty obvious.  First, it seems very clear to me that the front office has started the process of shifting their priorities from unloading and acquire young talent as was the case for the past two years, to what now seems to be wanting to acquire talent to help the current major league roster.  The Raynor pick is only useful if he can contribute to and make the team this year.

Second, this pick just adds to the congestion in the Pirates outfield.  As of today, the Pirates have 5 outfielders (McCutchen, Milledge, Moss, Jones, Raynor) competing for 3 spots, plus Jose Tabata potentially waiting in the wings for a mid-season call-up.  Assuming Jeff Clement can nail down the first base job and Jones is in fact an outfielder in 2010, I have a very hard time seeing all 5 of the above names on the opening day roster and wouldn’t be at all surprised if Moss is the odd man out.