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OFFSEASON PLAYER MOVEMENT

Players signed	Players lost
RHP Jim Mann (waivers)	OF Adrian Brown (released)
INF Abraham Nunez (re-signed)	RHP Francisco Cordova (free agent)
RHP Brian Boehringer (re-signed)	OF Armando Rios (released)
Acquired via trade	Players traded
1B Randall Simon (Tigers)	LHP Adrian Burnside, two players to be named

Complete Player Movement

Simon acquired from Tigers


	Simon

The Pirates filled a long-troublesome spot in their lineup Nov. 25, acquiring first baseman Randall Simon from the Tigers for three minor leaguers. The Tigers, apparently wary of a possible large salary increase Simon could get this winter in arbitration, acquired Australian-born left-hander Adrian Burnside and two prospects to be named. "We've been looking to improve our production in right field, center field and first base," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "He plays a position we've been looking to improve, and he's been a productive player."

Gammons: Diamond notes

Pirates, Meares settle dispute
The Pirates' bitter battle with Pat Meares has ended, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Oct. 30. The dispute over whether Meares, who had a left hand injury, was healthy enough to play at the major-league level was resolved on Oct. 29. Meares will be paid for the fourth and final year of his $15 million contract. He'll also spend the entire 2003 season on the disabled list, will not report to the spring training and will not travel with the team, according to the newspaper. In 240 games with the Pirates from 1999-01, Meares hit .238 with 17 homers and 79 RBI. "The shame of it is we never got to see a healthy major-league player," general manager Dave Littlefield told the newspaper. "There has been a level of frustration in the lack of production because he wasn't healthy. Everybody loses."

NL Central: Five key questions

NEWS AND NOTES

RH reliever Brian Boehringer, who went 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA last season, agreed to a two year contract worth nearly $4 million dollars Dec. 7. The deal is pending a physical for Boehringer.
INF Abraham Nunez avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $675,000, one-year contract deal with the Pirates on Dec. 6..
The Pirates named Doug Masolino minor league field coordinator Nov. 26.
The Pirates released OF Armando Rios on Nov. 20 and added six players to their 40-man roster -- INFs Pat Meares, Walter Young and Jose Castillo, pitchers Bobby Bradley and Dave Williams and C Ryan Doumit. Minor league pitcher John Grabow was designated for assignment.
Gerald Perry was hired Nov. 4 as the Pirates' hitting coach, the same job he held the last three seasons with the Mariners. The Mariners led the AL with a .288 average while winning 116 games in 2001 and were fourth in the league this year with a .275 average.
John Russell was hired Oct. 31 as the third base coach after managing the Edmonton Trappers to the PCL championship.
The Pirates finally reached terms Oct. 30 with RHP Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the June amateur draft. The negotiations with Bullington dragged out for five months as the pitcher sought a signing bonus comparable to the $5.15 million the Twins gave C Joe Mauer, the top pick in 2001. Bullington is projected as a No. 3 starter in the majors.
The Pirates hired former major leaguer Rusty Kuntz as first base coach Oct. 24. He succeeds Tommy Sandt, whose contract was not renewed. Koontz also succeeded Sandt as Florida's first base coach in 1999 after former Marlins manager Jim Leyland left to manage Colorado.
The Pirates have offered former third-base coach Trent Jewett the managerial job at Triple-A Nashville, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Oct. 23.

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"There's always a certain amount of pressure with a No. 1, but we'll treat him like anyone else. How he performs will dictate when he gets to the major leagues. Certainly, it's tough to project something like that."
– GM Dave Littlefield on RHP Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 pick in the June amateur draft

2002 NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis	97	65	.599	-
Houston	84	78	.519	13.0
Cincinnati	78	84	.481	19.0
Pittsburgh	72	89	.447	24.5
Chicago	67	95	.414	30.0
Milwaukee	56	106	.346	41.0
Complete Standings

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ON THE FARM

Minor league affiliates:
Nashville Sounds (AAA):
    Sched./Results | Stats | Official Site
Altoona Curve (AA):
    Sched./Results | Stats | Official Site
Lynchburg Hillcats (A):
     Stats | Official Site
Hickory Crawdads (A):
     Stats | Official Site
Williamsport Crosscutters (A):
    Official Site
Gulf Coast Pirates (R)


AVG	B. Giles	.298
HR	B. Giles	38
RBI	B. Giles	103
RUN	B. Giles	95
SB	2 tied @	15
WIN	2 tied @	12
SV	M. Williams	46
ERA	K. Wells	3.58
Complete Team Statistics: Batting \| Pitching


C	J. Kendall	ROTATION
1B	K. Young	K. Benson
2B	P. Reese	J. Fogg
3B	A. Ramirez	K. Wells
SS	J. Wilson	B. Meadows
LF	B. Giles	B. Arroyo
CF	A. Hyzdu	CLOSER
RF	C. Wilson	M. Williams


Dec 6: Agreed to terms on minor league contracts with infielders Joe Caruso, David Doster and Aaron Holbert, catcher Brad King, pitchers Blas Cedeno, Steve Fitch and Todd Ozais, and outfielder Brett Roneberg.
Dec 3: Named Brad Henderson trainer.
Nov 26: Named Doug Masolino minor league field coordinator.
Complete Team Transactions


No significant injuries.