BRADENTON, Fla. -- If they so chose, the Pirates undoubtedly could announce most, if not all, of their position players for their season opener a week from today in Atlanta.

Only the uncertain status of second baseman Freddy Sanchez appears to be holding that up.

But the bullpen?

That situation seems only marginally less chaotic now than it did all winter.

"We still have some decisions to make," general manager Neal Huntington said. "Tough decisions."

The locks remain closer Matt Capps and left-handed setup men John Grabow and Damaso Marte. Franquelis Osoria, long seen as a favorite to join them, has yet to allow a run this spring.

From there ...

Start with Sean Burnett, because no pitcher has performed better this spring.

Including his 1-2-3 eighth inning in the 8-0 blanking of the New York Yankees yesterday at McKechnie Field, Burnett has not allowed a run or a hit in his past seven appearances. The only run and all three hits he allowed came in his first outing Feb. 29.

There are two ways of looking at that:

One, if Burnett does not make it, what signal does that send to players in the future about the importance of spring performance?

Two, if Burnett and Phil Dumatrait make it -- Dumatrait also has a very good chance -- that would mean four left-handers in the bullpen.

"That's something that we have to consider," Huntington said.

It could help that the Pirates' internal analysis of Burnett shows he has been slightly more effective against right-handed hitters in his professional career.

On a much smaller scale, it could help that all three batters Burnett retired yesterday were right-handed: He battled back from a 3-1 count to get Chris Wood swinging over a no-nonsense fastball down and in, then put down Jason Brown and Melky Cabrera on grounders to short.

Total pitch count: 11.

"I'm having fun right now," Burnett said. "As a starter, I had to work to set up guys. Now, I'm just going right at them."

Does he feel he has earned a spot?

"I feel like I've earned a pretty darned good opportunity."

Burnett would have to be added to the 40-man roster after being removed this winter, but that will be no issue. Among the factors beyond the Pirates having little organizational depth: Reliever Juan Perez will open the season on the 60-day disabled list, and reliever Jonah Bayliss -- not likely to make the team -- is out of options and could be cut loose.

Osoria and Dumatrait also are out of options. In their cases, that only heightens the

urgency to keep them.

So, if Burnett and Dumatrait are added, that leaves one opening, which undoubtedly would go to a right-hander. And therein lies the most difficult decision: Evan Meek or Byung-Hyun Kim?

Meek was the Pirates' Rule 5 draft pick in December, meaning he must make the 25-man roster or be offered back to the Tampa Bay Rays. His spring showing has been encouraging, with a 3.86 ERA, six hits and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Most importantly, given the erratic control that nearly derailed his early development in the minors, he has only two walks.

Still, he never has pitched above Class AA. Even if he could benefit the Pirates down the road, it might not be easy to keep him in the majors all season, as is required by Rule 5.

There is a palpable sense of apprehension among management about doing so.

"He still has a chance," Huntington said.

Kim's story is quite different, given his financial considerations and a dismal spring that includes a 14.40 ERA and five home runs in as many innings.

He did settle yesterday, following Burnett with a 1-2-3 ninth that included two popups and a groundout. Among his 12 pitches were a fastball, slider and changeup thrown for strikes at various points.

"I was very happy," Kim said. "I could go inside and outside, not just over the middle of the plate."

Kim has a one-year major-league contract that calls for $850,000 in base pay, plus as much as $1.15 million in performance bonuses. But the contract is not guaranteed, and the Pirates can buy out Kim for $300,000 by 2 p.m. Wednesday, Major League Baseball's deadline for such matters.

It is believed they already have had internal discussions to that effect.

"As we've said all along, Kim has to earn a place on the team," Huntington said.

Swallowing that cost would be a bitter pill, to be sure. But the Pirates' financial justification could be that Kim's buyout plus the salary they would pay the pitcher who beats him out. -- Burnett, Dumatrait and Meek each will make $410,000 or less -- still would be less than Kim's full salary.

If neither Meek nor Kim is kept, that could open the door for Jaret Wright, Hector Carrasco, Masumi Kuwata or Casey Fossum.

Wright has a spring escape clause in his contract that allows him to declare free agency if he is not added to the 25-man roster tomorrow. Fossum has an escape clause, too, but it cannot be triggered until June.

Wright has a 3.38 ERA this spring and has struggled at times with command, but he gave management room for pause yesterday with a breezy 1-2-3 seventh that required only five pitches, mostly heavy sinkers, to get two groundouts and a popup.

The scenario with the position players is not nearly so complex ...

In the coming days, Nate McLouth surely will be named the starting center fielder and, just as surely, the bench will include catcher Ryan Doumit, utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz, infielders Chris Gomez and Luis Rivas and, in all likelihood, outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

If Sanchez has to go on the disabled list for his ailing right shoulder -- Dr. James Andrews is examining it today -- infielder Josh Wilson would be added, too.

Mientkiewicz, who still has not been told he will make the roster, has a spring escape clause he can trigger Thursday. There remains the possibility that another team could make known it has a starting position available for him. If so, he might entertain it, and the Pirates probably would not get in the way. But it seems most likely that he will stay.