It looks as if it will be another day before the Pirates deliver their decision on manager Jim Tracy and his staff.

Indications were strong late last night that nothing is forthcoming today, but indications were equally strong that it will happen tomorrow or, at the latest, Friday.

A team source said yesterday that he saw it as "very unlikely" that Tracy will be retained for the final year of his three-year contract, echoing a growing sentiment in that direction. But the source added that the internal discussions have been limited solely to team president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington, the man charged with making the decision.

Those two were the only management officials involved in the daylong discussions with Tracy and his staff Monday at PNC Park.

Those discussions, in what might be a telling sign, are believed to have focused almost entirely on player evaluations rather than as de facto job interviews. If management were serious about retaining Tracy or any of his staff, it might have been expected that there would be more questions about their approaches and philosophies.

There have been no decisions, apparently, regarding other management or on-field personnel.

Also yesterday, an MRI of third baseman Jose Bautista's wobbly right ankle, which slowed him for much of the season, showed no structural damage. He still plans to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, but only in the playoffs.