The Pirates' search for a new CEO is piquing interest around baseball for at least two reasons -- the extremely close-to-the-vest manner in which chairman of the board Bob Nutting is handling it and what it could mean for general manager Dave Littlefield.

It seems Nutting is the only person who knows anything about the search and potential candidates.

"The quietest I can remember," an executive with an American League team said, referring to industry speculation about the situation. "Not a peep."

And one National League front-office person thinks that, at the end of the day, Littlefield -- whose contract runs through 2008 -- could remain the team's general manager.

"Why else do you allow him to take on $15 million for next season at the trading deadline [July 31] if he isn't coming back?" that person said, referring to the $9.5 million owed to pitcher Matt Morris and the $5.45 million club option for shortstop Cesar Izturis in 2008.

There is recent precedent for a general manager staying on after a former general manager is hired as a team's chief executive officer.

On April 19, 2005, the San Diego Padres hired former Oakland GM Sandy Alderson as their chief executive officer. General manager Kevin Towers not only remained on the job, but he is still there.

There's also the situation with the Detroit Tigers in 2002.

In November 2001, the Tigers lured Florida Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski to Detroit with the offer of the team president title. In April 2002, Dombrowski fired GM Randy Smith -- and manager Phil Garner -- after the team lost its first six games. Dombrowski assumed the general manager's position and continues in that role today.

Two months ago, the Baltimore Orioles named former Minnesota Twins general manager Andy MacPhail chief operating officer. Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette, who function as co-general managers, are still in place, but baseball people wonder if that will change at the end of the season.

Nutting indicated a few days ago that the new Pirates CEO, who will succeed Kevin McClatchy, will be a baseball person.

"I would be surprised if baseball people don't [recognize the name of] the final successful candidate," Nutting said.

McClatchy's successor could hold the title of chief executive officer or president or both.

"What I've learned and decided is, we want to have a single person who will be an overall team president with full responsibility for the club," Nutting said.

By saying that, Nutting can expand the pool of potential candidates to include current general managers because it would not be a lateral move. That should make it easier for Nutting to gain permission from teams to interview their general managers.

"I don't want to say, 'It's obviously going to be a GM or it's obviously going to be [this] or it's obviously going to be [that],' " Nutting said. "I want to make sure we don't go that route."

And Nutting most definitely does not want the names of those who will be interviewed to be leaked before "the final successful candidate" is named.

"As much as it is fun to speculate, as much as it's interesting, I really believe it's in the best interest of the team for the process to be extremely deliberate, extremely careful, extremely well handled," Nutting said. "My responsibility to the team is to make sure we do this as well as we possibly can."