BRADENTON, Fla. -- Although Dave Littlefield does not cite a role model for building a franchise, he could do worse than to take a look up the Turnpike.

No general manager in Major League Baseball is being more lauded than the Cleveland Indians' Mark Shapiro, whose aggressive yet calculated moves rapidly transformed a bleak situation into one of the sport's brightest despite a payroll comparable to the Pirates'.

BASEBALL 2006

Littlefield's five best, five worst moves

As ESPN's Peter Gammons told the Cleveland Plain Dealer last year: "They've got such a clear plan."

Shapiro, 39, was promoted to his post before the 2002 season and inherited a roster rife with players older than 30 and locked into fat contracts. Still, his first act was to declare the Indians would be a contender within three years of the implementation of his "Blueprint for Success."

"It's funny now because, at the time, I was criticized for it being so far away," Shapiro said. "Our actual research back then suggested it was a very ambitious time frame. We were very fortunate to be able to do it. It's not easy to turn over an entire team."

That is precisely what he did, slashing a $90 million payroll by more than half as he parted ways with Roberto Alomar, Bartolo Colon, Jim Thome and many others. He brought in fine returns such as Grady Sizemore and Coco Crisp to restock his system, cut out spending on free agency, pumped his resources into development, then used what was left to extend contracts of young players he wished to keep.

The Indians managed only 74 and 68 wins in his first two years. But that rose to 80 in 2004 -- plus four minor-league championships -- and to 93 last season, after which Shapiro was named Baseball America's executive of the year.

His philosophy is to think internally in all cases.

"In markets like Pittsburgh or Cleveland, there's no separating the development from the majors," he said. "That's important from a business and efficiency standpoint, of course. But, to me, it's also important that our players come from the inside because I want my guys to become the Indians. It makes them greater stakeholders in the process, greater examples for the people coming up behind them."

What does Shapiro see when he looks at Pittsburgh?

"I think the Pirates are close. They've got an extremely deep and talented farm system and great, young pitching. They just need to stay healthy. Markets like ours, you live a very fragile existence no matter how much you plan."

The ledger cleared

The Pirates have known no such success story.

They have not won since 1992, meaning all 10 years with Kevin McClatchy as owner and all four-plus seasons under Littlefield. In Littlefield's full seasons, the victory totals have been 72, 75, 72 and 67.

McClatchy blames the continued losing on the need to wipe out several long-term contracts given out before Littlefield was hired, including those of Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, Kevin Young, Kris Benson and Pat Meares. Cam Bonifay was general manager then, and the deals were approved by McClatchy.

"I'm not going to lie to you," McClatchy said. "There were some times -- and I think everybody knows when that was because we had to move some players -- that I don't think our plan was working. We were locked into bad contracts and ... it was time for significant changes. Things are working much better now because I think we're working our plan better. Quite frankly, we've got better people in place to execute the plan, too."

It was not until December -- when Mark Redman, the last remnant of the Kendall trade, was dumped to Kansas City -- that the ledger was clear.

Littlefield does not mask his satisfaction at that.

"I want to clarify here: One of the nice things about where we are now is that we have worked very hard to get here with a lot of moves," he said. "That includes trades, decisions to let people walk ... it doesn't just happen. There's a lot of effort behind the scenes to get here."

So, what next?

What is the plan?

Littlefield declines to cite a time frame for the Pirates to contend, as did Shapiro, and perhaps he has cause. For one, he has two years left on his contract and might need to win to be extended. For another, Pittsburgh fans still seethe when recalling Bonifay's infamous "five-year plan" of 1996.

Still, listen to Littlefield discuss his plan, and it is clear he hopes to create a window of opportunity for the major-league team that spans from now until 2009.

As might be expected, it is based largely on finances.

The goal is to fill the diamond with as many talented starters as possible who are well removed from the six years of service time needed to become a free agent. Or, in the case of Bay, Jack Wilson and Salomon Torres, lock them into long-term contracts. From there, allow the group to mature while gradually addressing holes.

A look at the lineup for tomorrow in Milwaukee confirms more solid pieces are in place than at any point since Sid Bream slid safely into home: Bay and Chris Duffy in the outfield, Wilson and Jose Castillo in the middle infield and Ryan Doumit behind the plate all are the Pirates' property for at least the next four years. Same goes for Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ian Snell and Mike Gonzalez on the mound.

"This is what you try to do," Littlefield said. "Just look at the ages of these players and how long we have them. We're in a position where we can look years down the road and plug in other things. I think that gives us hope for a stronger future. Now, they've got to win and perform well and all that stuff, but you've got to get yourself to that point where we are now."

That view might explain why Littlefield calls Jim Tracy "the right manager at the right time."

Tracy strongly backs working toward this type of window, an approach similar to the one Los Angeles used in taking four years to turn a young core into a division champion in 2004.

"You see building blocks," Tracy said. "There's an immediacy in that we want to win right away, but there's also a foundation, I think, for this team to be pretty special for a number of years. When you can build something to the point it's very good, then step back and watch it perform collectively? Trust me, that's a special feeling."

All about money

No individual bears more responsibility for the Pirates' failure than McClatchy, partly because his is the final word, partly because his payrolls have been among the lowest in the game. It will increase this season from $35 million to $47 million, but that appears to reflect a rise in national revenue-sharing monies more than a commitment by local ownership.

McClatchy has suggested more hikes could come if the team fares well, and he sounds optimistic.

"If you look at how we line up in the middle of the field with those players we have locked up for a long time, along with Bay, that puts us in a good position to address other needs, I think, financially and otherwise," he said. "I like our position."

Littlefield and his assistants regularly chart projections for future payrolls. On the baseball end, the staff predicts how a player might progress such as, say, Gonzalez becoming a closer in 2006. The financial people, in turn, crunch numbers for how much that player might get paid.

The optimal scenario, Littlefield says, is having internal players develop because they cost little more than the major-league minimum -- now $327,000 -- for their first three seasons.

"The more of those you have, the easier it is to acquire other pieces," he said. "Once you get to the next three years, that's arbitration, and you've got to start making decisions. Beyond that, you've got to make serious commitments."

The practice that draws the most criticism for Littlefield, as it relates to having a plan, is his regular use of stopgaps.

That reached a pinnacle this offseason, when he spent $21 million to acquire Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa and Roberto Hernandez to fill perceived holes at the major-league level. All have contracts that expire after this season.

"We wanted to increase our offense to help everybody, including our young pitchers," Littlefield explained. "Because of that, we budgeted certain positions for free-agent players."

One argument against such spending is that this money, if funneled instead to the developmental level, would create an immense pool for signing amateurs.

"With a team like Pittsburgh, that's what I'd be doing," one National League executive said. "At the lower levels, they can compete financially with anyone. Not in the bigs. You're just throwing the money away instead of continuing to build."

Scouting director Ed Creech disagreed.

"There isn't an unlimited amount we can spend," he said. "We have what we need."

Although the Pirates' upper management generally duck the subject, it could be the case, too, that success in 2006 is important. For one, all concerned are eager to end the 13-year losing streak that McClatchy calls "a noose around my neck." For another, the All-Star Game's presence has brought a spike in ticket sales, and McClatchy has expressed an urgency to ensure those fans come back in future years.

"There's no question we want to win, and we're working hard to get to that point," he said. "I hope it happens right away. I think everyone in Pittsburgh does. To me, though, it's more important that we continue to do things the way we've been doing them the past few years. We're heading in the right direction."