Associated Press The formidable, young, left-handed bat the Pirates were looking for in the Braves' Adam LaRoche is not available. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Pirates Notebook: A Rule 5 draft without five picks? Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Pirates came close to a trade with the Atlanta Braves, one that would have shipped out closer Mike Gonzalez and brought back first baseman Adam LaRoche.

But it curdled, then collapsed last night in the span of a few hours.

And, to hear each side tell it, the other was at fault.

The third day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings began with firm word in the hotel lobby that a deal had been reached in principle, and that seemed to delight two members of the Pirates' front office who passed through. One of them dismissed speculation that they had been fretting over whether or not to part with Gonzalez over the meetings' first two days, saying that they were "almost begging" the Braves to get it done.

The Pirates' claim at the time was that Atlanta was the holdup, worried about Gonzalez's health because he missed the final five weeks of last season to tendinitis in his left elbow.

The Braves would wind up viewing the scene quite differently.

Early in the evening, according to sources on both sides, Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz pulled the LaRoche offer off the table. The reason was not Gonzalez's health, a high-ranking Braves official told reporters later, but rather that Littlefield took too long to make a decision.

Then, less than two hours later, Schuerholz reached agreement with the Seattle Mariners on a trade to acquire reliever Rafael Soriano for starter Horacio Ramirez, thus filling the Braves' wish for a setup man.

Littlefield was unavailable for comment last night, but one Pirates employee close to the negotiations called Atlanta's accusation about Littlefield "a pure fabrication."

Which team's version of the story was more accurate?

That likely never will be known.

Either way, the bottom line for the Pirates is that they are sure to leave these winter meetings, which conclude this morning after the Rule 5 draft, without the left-handed power hitter that is their greatest offseason priority. An official said yesterday morning that, even though the Pirates had been talking to five or six teams about such players, their sole focus the past two days was LaRoche.

He appears to be out, and another of the Pirates' potential targets, Washington Nationals outfielder Ryan Church, is no longer in their sights, a source said. The team apparently believes that it has outfielders who are just as good -- or better -- than Church in Nate McLouth and Jody Gerut. Church, 28, batted .269 in parts of three seasons, with 20 home runs in 527 at-bats.

While the Gonzalez-LaRoche deal was still alive, industry insiders were praising it as a good move for each team. The Braves would have had their late-inning reliever in Gonzalez, who was 24 for 24 in saves last season. And the Pirates would have had a formidable, young bat to add to Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay in the heart of the order. LaRoche, 27, batted .285 with 32 home runs and 90 RBIs.

And the only apparent issue, at least when the day began, was Gonzalez's health. Word circulated that all that remained to seal the deal was Atlanta physicians analyzing his Aug. 28 examination images, or the full physical that accompanies every player transaction.

In a late-afternoon interview, Littlefield acknowledged that potential trade partners had inquired about the elbow.

"I think it's natural that, when someone finishes up on the disabled list, there's going to be some concern," Littlefield said. "But, as we always do, we provide medical information. And we're comfortable that the recent medical checkup with the doctor was fine, so we don't have those concerns. But that's just the way business is done."

Littlefield repeated his stance that Gonzalez is fully healthy, and Gonzalez yesterday said the same from his home in Texas.

"There's no tenderness. Nothing at all," he said. "It's been that way before I left Pittsburgh at the end of the season. I definitely could have pitched the last week of the season, but we agreed there was no point to doing that. I haven't thrown since then, but I know my arm. And I know it's 100 percent."

It was unclear last night if the Braves had a chance to check Gonzalez's records, though it is believed they did.

Gonzalez is having a physical Monday in Pittsburgh, but that was scheduled well before any trade talks.

There is virtually no chance of resuscitating a deal for LaRoche. For one, the Braves filled their relief need and are not interested in any other available Pirates, as evidenced by no other players having come up in the talks. For another, they probably are quite satisfied to have kept LaRoche.

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, in his mass-media session yesterday, displayed his reluctance to part with LaRoche by saying: "You always listen to everybody, but you know we're not looking to trade him. That's for dang sure. Not with a swing like that."

The Pirates have yet to make a move at these winter meetings, and they do not seem close to one with their No. 2 priority -- a right-handed starter -- either.

In a surprise move, they summoned the representatives for free agent Jeff Suppan to their suite last night, but that meeting apparently never took place. It was not immediately clear why.