Neal Huntington has been to the baseball general managers meetings before, as an assistant with the Cleveland Indians.

Yesterday, the Pirates' recently hired general manager spent his first full day at the GM meetings in Orlando, Fla., in his full-fledged role.

"I'm looking forward to [being here] and [impacting] the Pittsburgh Pirates in a positive way," Huntington said.

OK, not a lot of gushiness. But these meetings are all business anyway.

And Huntington's business is continuing to lay the groundwork for trades that should impact his Pirates for years to come.

"We have a pretty good offseason strategy in place," Huntington said. "We talked to teams before these meetings -- what they're looking for, what their needs are, where they might have an excess and where there might be a potential fit. We've done all our due diligence internally to prepare for the offseason."

What that internal due diligence probably centered on was restocking the Pirates' minor-league system, which is in great need of a kick-start.

That could mean veterans such as Jason Bay and Jack Wilson will be traded this winter. Or maybe Xavier Nady will be dealt. In each case, the Pirates' goal would be to bring back perhaps two well-above-average prospects from another team.

"We feel like we have an opportunity to win [next season]," Huntington said. "We have an eye on '08. But also have an eye on '09 and '10 and '11 and '12. We have to weigh the short term with needing to replenish our farm system.

"The key to our success will be the continued infusion of talent from our minor-league system. Our position is that we will have to be compelled to make a trade [depending on] how it effects '08."

Not to mention the succeeding years.

The Pirates almost traded Wilson to Detroit in July, but that fell through.

The San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox reportedly are seeking a shortstop, so perhaps Wilson will go someplace this winter instead.

Huntington flew Monday to Orlando fresh from having hired his first manager -- former Pirates coach John Russell. One more item crossed off a to-do list that is never clear.

"It's a high-demand job," Huntington said of being a general manager. "It's a high-energy job, a high-stress job. It's a 24/7 job 365 days of the year. You really never get down time.

"When that cell phone goes off and it comes back on, you've got 10, 15, 20, 25 voice-mail messages and e-mails waiting for you, and you just never catch a break."

It will be that way for Huntington in Orlando -- whether he's in his room plotting trade strategy with cohorts or walking through the resort hotel that is playing host to these meetings.

"There's really not set time when meetings with other teams can happen," he said. "You can see somebody in the lobby and say, 'We had this idea. We had this thought. We heard maybe this guy might be in play [in a trade].'

"You have a lot of conversations laying groundwork on top of groundwork that's already been laid [leading to the winter meetings in 3¹/₂ weeks]. Maybe you eliminate a club because there's no longer a match.

"It's all about timing and options and opportunity. When those three align, then you can make a trade."

NOTES -- The Pirates still aim to announce the hiring of a scouting director and a minor-league director before the week ends. "We're trying to draw on the best that's out there," Huntington said. "We're going to take the best of a lot of organizations -- and implement what is the best and what will work here in Pittsburgh." ... There is speculation that the Pirates are considering hiring veteran scout Larry Corrigan, who recently left the Minnesota organization. Corrigan could be hired as a special assignment scout.