R._Simon__Sausage_Killer: Is Jack Wilson's time as a Pirate up or are the Pirates not even thinking about trading him? What would his value even be?

Dejan Kovacevic: Before we bury the shortstop, a hearty hello to one and all on this ridiculously hot day. ... I would think, based on overwhelming precedent, that the Pirates will need a dramatic uptick in the standings to keep them from shopping Wilson. They tend not to hold onto high-priced players for long under the best of circumstances, and these are not the best.

D: Do you think the Pirates will be buyers or sellers at the deadline?

Dejan Kovacevic: Until we see Dave Littlefield make one in-season trade aimed at helping the team for that season, there is no cause to expect one this year, either. The Pirates' M.O., quite clearly, is to wait and see how the season pans out, then react accordingly. So, your answer: Sellers. (Though no one in management has said as much.)

Money_For_Nutting: How is Sanchez feeling? Will he miss any more time?

Dejan Kovacevic: He should play tomorrow in Seattle.

R._Simon__Sausage_Killer: So what happens now if Zack Duke continues to struggle like he has? Does Bullington come up, or are the Pirates sticking with him no matter what happens?

Dejan Kovacevic: The Pirates seem absolutely determined to stick by Duke.

AZPirateFan: Do you think that Paulino will ever connect the fact that he isn't able to protect the low-and-outside strike zone with the fact that is where he's pitched too? It is comical to watch catchers set up outside every at bat.

Dejan Kovacevic: No connection has been made yet, and that is somewhat surprising considering Paulino was able to ride so many of those types of pitches the other way last year. But he also was not standing so far from the plate then.

Lave_Dittlefield: Burning your hand cooking chicken?

Dejan Kovacevic: They are human. And some of them like to cook.

dschomburg: Will the Pirates make sure JWilson's trade value is at an all time low before they try to trade him, thus following recent trends?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is precedent for that, too -- see Oliver Perez, Jose Castillo -- though it appears Wilson is back to being the everyday shortstop.

D: Was it important that they won yesterday's game,considering how many they've blown at home?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is no such thing as an unimportant game for the Pirates. They hardly are of the status to be shrugging off defeats.

Bucco_Mike: So, you think that Jack Wilson could be traded at the deadline for someone to keep the Pirates in the hunt?

Dejan Kovacevic: The precedent is that the Pirates acquire prospects in trades involving a lot of salary going out. And the precedent, further, is that they acquire middle relief.

R._Simon__Sausage_Killer: With Bautista doing very well, what do the Pirates do with Neil Walker now? Outfield? I know it's a year or two down the road, but the Pirates don't seem very good at planning ahead.

Dejan Kovacevic: Moving Walker around based on which way the wind blows at the major-league level would be enormously ill-advised, based on how most good prospects are handled by other teams. By all accounts, Walker is doing quite well at third -- despite about a dozen errors -- in terms of looking comfortable at the position. His value as a third base, which is an industry shortcoming, would be much greater to the Pirates than just about anywhere else on the field. If his bat plays as most expect it will, adjustments should be made for him, not the other way around.

tom: Dejan, do you think Zach Duke has made any strides in trying to go back to his old delivery?

Dejan Kovacevic: Until his hit count goes down to something less than the worst in the majors, those strides are going to be very difficult to measure. He and the Pirates believe the quality of his pitches is improving, and there is some evidence to back that. But his results need to be much better.

Bucco_Mike: So, Castillo is back to bench duty?

Dejan Kovacevic: Seems that way. But we will see tomorrow in Seattle. Perhaps he could play center field if Chris Duffy is unable. Or the Pirates might counter that Castillo cannot play that position because he has not played it or practiced it much in the majors. Or someone could counter that perhaps Castillo could have been taking fly balls during his two months of dormancy on the bench, to strengthen his own value as well as what he might net in a trade. ... We will see. Whatever the case, he probably will play more often than he did in April and May.

AZPirateFan: Do you think, in the long run, that the Pirates are better off losing players to free agency and picking up a sandwich pick then they would be if they stick by their M.O. and trade them for marginal prospects?

Dejan Kovacevic: Depends on the player. Remember, to get those picks, you have to offer arbitration. If you offered that to Burnitz or Randa from last year, that is a hefty cost to pay when you consider no one else would sign them.

dschomburg: do you get the sense that the players still consider themselves in a pennant race?

Dejan Kovacevic: The Pirates would need to rattle off a few in a row for some of that scoreboard-watching to come back, I think. That loss to Texas on Thursday, if that were flipped, might have been a start.

Brian: Hey Dejan, Do any of the players know of the June 30th protest?

Dejan Kovacevic: I have heard no one mention it.

Cecil_Espy is Duffy's improved performance at the plate more to do with less pressure in the no. 2 spot or moreso with not having a weak hitting SS batting after him?

Dejan Kovacevic: Now Wilson is to blame for Duffy, too? Rough week. ... For me to discuss Duffy's improved performance at the plate, we would have to see more than just a couple weeks. He has yet to approach the dynamic form we saw through most of the second half last season.

piratefansince75: Doesn't Malholm need more minor league seasoning. The way he has been knocked around I'm afraid he will lose his confidence.

Dejan Kovacevic: What have you not like about Maholm's past five starts, aside from the five walks at Yankee Stadium? Look beyond the pitching line in his case. His hits and walks are mostly down, he is putting together 1-2-3 innings, and he is showing plenty of signs of regaining his best form.

tom: Dejan, how did JVB do with regards to batter's swinging and missing in his start? I know that is something that you have written about Zach Duke's lack of. Also, how did you think his start went?

Dejan Kovacevic: Being fair to Van Benschoten would involve giving him more than one start -- good or bad -- to evaluate him. Trust me on this: That start was a very big deal for him, emotionally and otherwise. Wait three or four to start dissecting.

Steve: Dejan, I originally was against the June 30th idea. But I was handed a flyer at Saturday's game that explains the motavations behind it. Now I am going to participate. Do you think the Pirates will even acknowledge it??

Dejan Kovacevic: I would have no idea. How do you mean, by stopping the game and raising their fists in solidarity?

R._Simon__Sausage_Killer: What does the national media, or media from other markets think of the Pirates situation? The problems have been so well documented here, but I just wonder whether outsiders see the problems as payroll, management, fan support, etc.?

Dejan Kovacevic: You would have to ask them.

Lave_Dittlefield: Do the Pirates have any chance of winning 3 games out west this week? History tends to predict they do not.

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, Seattle has lost five in a row, right? And the Mariners were just swept by the Astros, who are 0-6 against the Pirates? ... Never mind. Should be a very challenging trip, not just in terms of the competition but also the preposterous travel MLB foisted upon your club. And that is to say nothing of going to a third corner of the country next week, in Miami.

D: There's no way Paulino and Manto don't see the flaws in his stance on tape.So why does Paulino continue to stand far from the plate and try to pull every pitch?

Dejan Kovacevic: Hard to say.

Steve: Well, I saw on the news that the Pirates had "no comment" about the idea. It makes me wonder if they will ever have a comment about our displeasure.

Dejan Kovacevic: Generally speaking, teams react to fan negativity of any kind when they actually see it. The Pirates are coming off a week when they had good attendance -- surprising in a couple cases -- and a sellout Saturday, along with a 4-2. That is the immediacy of the matter. What else would they comment on right now?

Lave_Dittlefield: How many games back do you think the Pirates need to be at the end of July to have a realistic chance of winning the division, if possible?

Dejan Kovacevic: As I look at the schedule, we will know before the All-Star break if the Pirates still have a prayer. Right after this bad trip comes three against Washington, then the Brewers and Cubs. That is your season right there.

Ironman: What do you make of the catching situation? I love Doumit's bat, and I don't know enough about baseball strategy to understand why the pitchers' ERA is much higher when Doumit catches when compared to starts that Paulino catches. What is more valuable to this team? Doumit's bat or Paulino's handling of the pitching staff?

Dejan Kovacevic: To the Pirates, absolutely without question, it is Paulino's game-calling. They like to have the catcher call the game, limiting signals from the dugout to pickoffs, pitchouts and the like. Lot of mail on this over the weekend. Seems to be quite unpopular.

tom: Dejan, does Sanchez's lack of range seem to suggest that they need to find another postion for him?

Dejan Kovacevic: There were some doubts about Sanchez's range at second, as well as his ability to stay healthy there, entering this season. Those have not been disspelled. The Pirates had a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman who stayed healthy enough to win a batting championship and chose to move him because they did not like what they saw out of another player at second base.

Lave_Dittlefield: Shawn Chacon has been a pleasant surprise this year in both the pen and in his limited starting action. It looks like all of the bashers from this trade last year are regretting that now even the Yankees no?

Dejan Kovacevic: Chacon has had a fine season, undoubtedly better than most were expecting. And his work in relief Sunday was yet another feather for him. It is possible, even though he would rather be a starter, that he is upping his own value by working out of relief.

Money_For_Nutting: Will JVB be his own DH in Seattle?

Dejan Kovacevic: Neat idea. He still can rake, but not quite to the level he was in college. That left shoulder bugs him at the plate.

wheres_the_bullpen: When Lloyd was manager, it was my understanding that he called every game from the dugout, even when Jason Kendall was catching. Granted, I'm not sure anything the Pirates did in that ERA should be looked at as a solution, but why is Tracy against having games called from the dugout?

Dejan Kovacevic: Kendall called his own games, but McClendon did an awful lot of pitch-calling from the dugout with other catchers.

cnote: if the pirates were the benefactor of divine intervention and traded either kolb, marte, torres, j wilson or anyone else for a major-league ready prospect which position would they fill, and what are some names that are out there?

Dejan Kovacevic: Middle relief.

wheres_the_bullpen: Has there been any talk of moving Neil Walker back to being the catcher of the future if Paulino keeps struggling?

Dejan Kovacevic: Argh.

danw: People talk about bad signings (Young, Mears, Kendall) and players the Pirates lost or traded (Bonds, A. Ramirez). How different do you think the last 13 years would have been if the Pirates had given Tim Wakefield time to rediscover his knuckleball. Talk about a stabilizing influence in your rotation or bullpen who seems willing to perform any role for below-average money...

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, we could take things all the way back to the Kiner trade, but I have a plane to catch for the wrong side of the country in a couple hours. ... Q&A tomorrow.