The Pirates are taking a hard line with all of their remaining unsigned, arbitration-eligible players except shortstop Jack Wilson.

Those five -- pitchers Kip Wells, Josh Fogg and Brian Meadows, first baseman Craig Wilson and utilityman Rob Mackowiak -- are being offered one-year, non-guaranteed contracts. And the team has made it clear to the players' agents that there will be no flexibility on either count.

"I've got to have confidence in a player to give out a multiyear contract," Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said yesterday. "One, there's got to be a discount to us for the guaranteed money we're giving out. Two, I've got to feel good that we're going to get the level of performance that we need. You take into account what you get on and off the field and the health history, too, especially with where our payroll is."

Management is projecting the 2005 payroll to end up just less than $40 million.

"We need flexibility," Littlefield said. "In particular, we need that with players where we're uncertain what we're going to get in return."

So far, the team has made exceptions for only two arbitration-eligible players: Pitcher Salomon Torres signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract in November, and Jack Wilson and the team continue to discuss a guaranteed contract that would cover two or three years.

Of the rest, all but Wells are known to have sought multiyear deals.

"We tried to talk to them about it right at the start," said Dan Horwits, the agent who represents Fogg and Meadows. "That went nowhere quickly."

"There is an opportunity for the player to be happy and for the club to save some money if you go longer term, so that's what we wanted," said Joe Sroba, Mackowiak's agent. "But Pittsburgh seems to be trying to keep its ledger clear."

Players can begin filing for arbitration today and do so until Jan. 15. The greatest pressure to reach agreement comes in the days leading up to Jan. 18, the date upon which both sides exchange figures for arbitration. Hearings are Feb. 1-21, and agreements can be reached at any point before they occur.

Wells, who made $2,575,000 million last year, has been offered a slight raise after going 5-7 in 24 starts. He is in his second year of arbitration eligibility, as is Craig Wilson ($1.15 million last year). Fogg ($342,000) and Mackowiak ($335,000) are eligible for the first time. Meadows ($625,000) is eligible for the last time.

In the type of non-guaranteed contracts the Pirates are offering, a player is paid one-sixth of his salary if he is released before March 18. If he is released from that date until the start of the regular season April 4, he is paid a quarter of his salary. In the past two years, the team has cut pitchers Matt Herges and Joe Beimel with such contracts, paying a quarter of the salary to each.