OaklandDan: Good afternoon, Dejan. Do the Pirates believe Jose Castillo is ever going to become disciplined at the plate? I don't think I've ever seen him wait on his" pitch-he just tries to hit anything, regardless of location or count. What's your opinion as well?

Dejan Kovacevic: Good afternoon to you, too, and to everyone. Castillo's lack of discipline is not limited to his approach in the box. It extends to the field and to his baserunning, which is part of what drives the coaching staff buggy. Clearly, the potential is there for him to become a very good -- if not better -- second baseman in the National League. Be sure that the Pirates hope he figures it out sooner rather than later.

NYCH: There has to be an explanation of some kind for the Pirates road record. It's just too consistent. Was it the youth of the team in the beginning? Maybe now it's just low expectations.

Dejan Kovacevic: As with everything, the root of a team's problem can be traced to starting pitching. That is true here, too. I don't have the numbers here in front of me, but I do recall that the starters' numbers are infinitely worse on the road than at home, and that the disparity there is greater than the disparity in the hitting numbers. ... Still, your point stands: The overall gap between home and road is getting bizarre.

mtw_shadyside: Dejan, Why not just release Burnitz and give DeCaster or Boeve a shot? The Bucs will have to pay Burnitz either way, and it would give him a chance to *possible* sign with a contender.

Dejan Kovacevic: If the Pirates are interested in either player being in Pittsburgh -- and I think Boeve might be one such case -- they can just wait a couple weeks and bring up anyone they like in September.

14-years___counting: Where is Victor Santos in next year's plans?

Dejan Kovacevic: He is on a one-year deal and can be a free agent after this season. I have not heard of any great urgency to bring him back.

Vlad: Is there any buzz in the org about Steve Duguay? Does he have a chance at a spot on the 40-man this offseason?

Dejan Kovacevic: I heard his name quite a bit early on from the Pirates' minor-league people, but not as much lately. If you're looking for possible 40-man additions, the two relievers I wrote about this morning are the ones getting the strongest consideration, as evidenced by their moving up through the system. Duguay -- another reliever, for those who don't know -- has yet to move.

matt622h: What do you view the pirates doing with Ryan Doumit? His bat is so valuable... any chance they ask him to play winter ball to learn first base or right field?

Dejan Kovacevic: Doumit is playing as I type this for Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League, his first action in two months. From there, he will move up through the minor-league system on a rehab. If all goes well, he could be back here as a September guy. I still do not hear Doumit's name getting mentioned in relation to right field -- which I find puzzling -- but I have heard that he might be thrust back into the first-base mix. Probably not in September, but in winter ball and beyond. They do love his bat.

ECBucs: I'm a big critic of DL and the Bucs management team but today I just want to congratulate the team for getting off the floor in Houston and coming back and winning 3 against the Cardinals.

Dejan Kovacevic: I am not sure congratulations are in order for such a small snippet of a generally miserable season, but the Pirates certainly did have an exceptional weekend. They shined in almost every imaginable way, and they did so against a terrific opponent that was not necessarily playing its worst baseball. Very impressive.

mtw_shadyside: Please tell me Chacon will not be on the team next year. I have looked at that trade from all angles and cannot understand the reason for acquiring him. I believe Santos is the better pitcher, is significantly cheaper, and ISN'T HURT.

Dejan Kovacevic: There is, unlike Santos, every indication that Chacon will be back next season. It's one of the reasons they acquired him, knowing they'd have his rights another year. Also, regarding that knee injury: Looks very minor.

ECBucs: Minor league question: It looks Brad Corley for Hickory has a legitimate chance to hit more homers than number of walks. Is he Manny Sanguillen with a little more power?

Dejan Kovacevic: One would prefer their power hitters to have more walks than Corley does. His average is good, as is his power, but a lack of walks does not translate well at the higher levels.

Vlad: Who goes off the 40-man this offseason? Johnston? Davis? Guzman? JVB/Bullington/Burnett?

Dejan Kovacevic: Mike Johnston, Javier Guzman and Rajai Davis are the best bets, but I base that solely on my own observations. Johnston has fallen way off the radar in Indy, Davis does not reach base often enough to take advantage of his other traits and Guzman has nearly 30 errors, even after being bumped to second base a month ago.

JPeezy: Isn't it the Pirates' top priority to get another power-hitter this off-season?

Dejan Kovacevic: If it isn't, is most certainly should be. I wonder, actually, if is "another power hitter" as opposed to "a power hitter." Who in this lineup can be considered a power hitter? Bay is going to deliver his 25-30 home runs, but he has hardly established himself as a big-time thumper, as he would be the first to attest.

14-years___counting: Is Duffy clearly in the 2007 plans or is the team shopping him around to see if there are takers over the winter? If he stays, it seems to me that a run-producing bat will be out of the lineup every night - either Bautista, Nady, Doumit, and / or Eldred would be on the bench.

Dejan Kovacevic: I get the sense that Duffy had better have a wonderful final two months, or the Pirates will spend the winter looking elsewhere for a solution in center field. The trouble with that, of course, is that all Pirates center fielders in this decade have All-Star second halves, right?

Vlad: A follow-up about Romulo Sanchez: How much of the team's buzz about him is genuine merit, and how much is an expression of their desire to see a Latin prospect advance?

Dejan Kovacevic: It might be a bit of both, I would think. Their Latin scouts certainly could use a boost in seeing someone get through the system. But I would imagine much more of this is related to Sanchez being able to hit 96 mph on the gun, as well as having a 6-6 frame the Pirates feel will allow him to improve. Whatever the case, his numbers obviously will have to get better than what he has now.

Wheres_Malkin: Your article this morning showed signs that the organization has good reliever depth. Will there be a market for young relievers this offseason like there was at the trade deadline?

Dejan Kovacevic: The buyer's market for relievers shows no sign of drying up. But that only matters if the Pirates are willing to sell them, right?

ropenron: This team can be good next year! The pitchers will be more experienced and ready to take the next step.

Dejan Kovacevic: They might be getting there already. Throw out that Chacon start in Houston, and the Pirates' starters have the best ERA in the majors over the past 17 games. ... But the team getting good? I will believe that when the thumper in the heart of the order makes his way through the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

Wheres_Malkin: Speaking of the 40 man roster, what new names should we expect to see on it next year?

Dejan Kovacevic: Boeve is a candidate, as are the two relievers. I haven't checked on the eligibility status of Altoona shortstop Brian Bixler, but the Pirates really like him, too.

DAN: Is the play of the Pirates in general and Chris Duffy in particular as of late indicative of actual improvement to be happy about or is it just a nice hot streak that will fade?

Dejan Kovacevic: Ask again after the next time the Pirates go on the road. It seems this team has made some incremental steps this year, including a bunch since the All-Star break, notably the one-run-loss thing. Next up is figuring out how to win on the road. ... As for Duffy, it will take much, much more than three games, obviously, but what has been most encouraging to the Pirates is that he really has not wavered all that much, even when he was hitting line drives right at people.

Ferd_20: Do you think in the next five years we will be talking about playoff baseball instead in August? Talking about next years team in August has become to routine!

Dejan Kovacevic: Normally, I would say no without giving it a thought. But open your paper from this morning and look at the National League standings. Look at all the teams -- Brewers, Marlins, Rockies, etc. -- that still have a realistic shot. Hey, throw the Reds into that pool, too. Who thought they'd be there? There does not appear to be much sign of the league developing a handful of teams that entrench themselves in the postseason, as has happened in the American League.

Wheres_Malkin: Acquiring a Power Hitter will come at a price, financially or via young players. Are the Pirates willing to pay such a price?

Dejan Kovacevic: The answer, based on voluminous precedent, is no. But maybe this will be the year that changes. Who knows?

henry296: Is Castillo arbitration eligible this year? What type of return might he bring in a trade in the offseason?

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes to the first question. A very nice return to the second question.

Sandlot_Wizard: Why won't the Pirates give Jose Bautista some stability and give him a full-time position, at least for the rest of this season? He has earned it with his play. The Pirates don't often reward guys for good, consistent play with increased roles. Paulino has hit .300 every month of the season, yet he still hits 8th.

Dejan Kovacevic: On the Bautista count, it is a mystery. It might be a case of being damned by his own flexibility, where he just gets plugged in wherever for the sake of convenience in that night's lineup. ... With Paulino, the official explanation is that the Pirates don't want to mess with his success this year by adding to his burden. I do think, over time, you're going to see him slide up to sixth, especially if he consistently drives the ball the way he did on that last road trip.

IamGaryVarsho: Realizing that if the Pirates could play .400 ball on the road, they'd only be 5.5 out of the wild card, has made me very sad. Please tell me something about the team, other than a story about FredEx, Bayrod, or the young pitchers' weekend (something REALLY off the beaten path) that can make me happy and give me hope for next year. Thanks!

Dejan Kovacevic: OK, maybe this works: I was asking Matt Capps in Houston the other day about the possibility he was tiring, coming off a few rough outings and another home run that night (Ensberg for three runs). Pitchers hate these questions, but he answered it plenty politely but indignantly. So, yesterday, he gives up a couple hits but gets out of an eighth-inning jam by whiffing Aaron Miles on 96-mph heat, maybe the hardest pitch he's thrown all year. I walk by him in the clubhouse, he makes eye contact and just grins ear to ear. ... There is a lot of that type of confidence among the younger players on this roster.

Sandlot_Wizard: Despite his mistakes this offseason, Littlefield was rather bold in his attempt to improve the club. Do you think he will try to be aggressive again this Winter, or has this experience convinced him to be MORE conservative?

Dejan Kovacevic: I don't think it's a matter of being aggressive or conservative. Omar Minaya can get aggressive. The Pirates can't. Not now. Not ever, until the game's economics change. What can happen, though, is formulating a direction, a plan and sticking with it, rather than filling holes on an annual basis.

Vlad: If you were to try and summarize the team's organizational philosophy in one or two sentences, what would it be? Do we even have a coherent plan?

Dejan Kovacevic: I tried to do it with a four-part series on the day this season started, and it took about 12,000 words. And I still don't think I quite nailed it.

14-years___counting: Are you hearing anything about Jim Tracy's future with the team? Is it safe to say that if Littlefield is fired, Tracy will probably go as well?

Dejan Kovacevic: Safe and sound. Tracy is not going anywhere. And neither is Littlefield, from all I have gathered.

Lave_Dittlefield: Where do you see Nate McLouth fitting into the Pirates picture long term? Is he going to be relegated to a bench role for the next few years?

Dejan Kovacevic: I believe that is how the Pirates view him, yes.

DAN: Say the Pirates do trade Castillo. Does Bautista then move to third with Sanchez at third? If that's the case can the Pirates expect to get a decent power hitting outfielder to fill that hole or is that expecting too much?

Dejan Kovacevic: That undoubtedly would be the breakdown if that were to happen, but I'm far from sure that it will.

Wheres_Malkin: Is Malkin in your basement? And has anyone tested his ability to hit a baseball a long way?

Dejan Kovacevic: Evgeni Malkin, I am told, has been picked up in a Finnish port by Derek Bell, who is bringing him here on his yacht. Should be in plenty of time for the first drop of the puck. ... Thanks to everybody. Heading to the yard.