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One of these days, we will get back to discussing baseball games and the like. In the meantime ...

Q: Dejan, I'm sure this won't be the first email you've received on this, but a $6 million signing bonus for Matt Wieters? If that's what it took to get him, I'm even more disgusted.

Is anyone at the PBC surprised by this figure and not the $10 million that was originally discussed?

Quinn McGuire of Shaler

KOVACEVIC: The Pirates were under the impression it would take upwards of $10 million to get Wieters in the fold. But, then, so were the Orioles as of late yesterday afternoon.

Turns out Scott Boras very clearly was simply trying to drive up the price of his player and, just as clearly, his player was going to sign to get started with professional ball as long as he got something in that $6 million range.

Could the Pirates have known that at the time of the draft? Undoubtedly not.

But one could counter that this is why, under these new rules, teams draft a player such as Wieters rather than get frightened by the potential price. The mere drafting buys the team two months of exclusive negotiating rights, and that can be enough to get the deal done if the player is intent on turning pro.

How many players have that intent? Suffice it to say that all 30 first-round picks were signed by yesterday.

I have written this a zillion times before, but it never is enough: A team in the Pirates' position simply cannot afford to play it safe if it hopes to succeed. Risks must be taken for there to be any real rewards.

Q: Now that Matt Wieters and Danny Moskos have both signed -- for $6 million and $2.475 million, respectively -- we can calculate just how much Matt Morris time the Pirates bought themselves by opting for the cheaper Moskos over the more highly regarded Wieters.

Morris' total compensation for the remainder of 2007 and all of 2008 is $13.5M. He averages about 33 starts per year. That works out to about $308,000 per start. The $3.525 million difference between Wieters' and Moskos' bonuses buys us about 11 Morris starts. Morris will probably make 11 starts for the Pirates before the end of 2007.

Bottom line: if the Pirates had waited and made the Morris deal at the end of the season, they could have used the extra money to pay for Wieters.

Does anyone in the Pirates' front office have even a passing interest in winning?

Gregg Donovan of New York

KOVACEVIC: I have no doubt that they do, Gregg. But their actions -- the Morris trade, the Matt Kata recall, the use of Tony Armas in the rotation rather than Shane Youman -- illustrate that they are more interested in trying to win in these final six weeks than down the road.

Q: From a Detroit game report about Wednesday night's start by Tigers prospect Jair Jurrjens: "I would say," manager Jim Leyland said, "that he's a real top-notch prospect." Just a bit of the praise the young guy got after jumping from Class AA to help a team in a pennant race.

Is the deal to get him with Jack Wilson anywhere to be found? Is this another case of waiting so long that the price goes up?

John Dankosky of Winsted, Conn.

KOVACEVIC: Looks like that train has left the station. Jurrjens has been added to the Tigers' 40-man roster with his promotion, meaning he would have to clear waivers to be part of a Wilson trade now. No chance of that.

More than one person with whom I spoke was incredulous that the Pirates would pass up that pitcher.

More on the Wilson deal -- or non-deal -- in the notebook today.

Q: Well, it looks like the Bucs have done it again: They've wasted another golden opportunity to trade players while they were at the height of their value. Instead of moving Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon and, to a lesser degree, Salomon Torres back in July when they were at least effective, they hung onto all three. Now, none of the three could be expected to fetch more than a box of Aramark hot dog wrappers.

Any insight into this baffling and ongoing lack of common sense?

I sure hope Mr. Nutting is paying attention to Dave Littlefield's ineptitude.

Bill Barnes of Fairmont, W.Va.

KOVACEVIC: I have no insight, nor any explanation. If you read the regular coverage, you saw the Pirates' version.

As has been documented exhaustively, the Pirates have a long history now of selling low. Or, in some cases, giving away low. There have been very few examples of selling high.

Q: It is difficult to understand why Littlefield refuses to fill a roster spot with Michael Ryan.

Ryan obviously worked hard during the offseason because he knew that he had to perform at a high level during spring training to have any chance of earning a spot. In spite of a team leading .394 batting average, management decided to come north with others.

Littlefield said that Ryan had to go to Indianapolis and keep his part of the bargain. Curiously, in spite of his fine spring training performance, he was apparently told that he wouldn't play regularly at Indianapolis. This must have been very discouraging to Ryan but, to his credit, he hung in there, worked hard and earned additional playing time. As you pointed out in your notebook Wednesday, he has become Indy's best player.

It appears that Ryan has kept his part of the bargain, but Littlefield hasn't.

Tony Sgro of Indiana, Pa.

KOVACEVIC: Judging by the Pirates' explanation of the Kata recall, Ryan needs to learn a few more positions.

Sorry for all the blank stares I am giving back to everyone today. As you might gather, I am running out of answers for some of the Qs about why the Pirates make -- or do not make -- some of the moves that readers want to have explained.

Until Monday, when we will chat from Denver. The next Q&A will come the following day ...