BRADENTON, Fla. -- One extra player remains in the Pirates' camp, a number that could drop to zero by the end of today.

And the odd man out, based on strong indications yesterday, will be Sean Burnett.

First, the team made several more roster moves, including the acquisition of veteran reliever Tyler Yates from the Atlanta Braves for pitching prospect Todd Redmond, the buyout of reliever Byung-Hyun Kim, the cutting of reliever Jaret Wright and five others, the retirement of reliever Masumi Kuwata and the long-anticipated addition of utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz.

That leaves 27 players officially in the fold, including injured outfielder Chris Duffy, and the lone significant cut lingering in the bullpen.

With Yates committed to the roster and four other relievers out, there are three official vacancies. Two are certain to go to Franquelis Osoria and Phil Dumatrait, and the third, it appears, will go to Rule 5 draft pick Evan Meek.

By keeping Meek, the Pirates can determine if he is worth keeping on the 25-man roster all year, as the Rule 5 process requires if a team wishes to retain that player's rights in the long term.

While that evaluation takes place, Burnett, who never pitched in relief before this spring, could open in the same role at Class AAA Indianapolis and be recalled later.

A decision to cut Burnett, by all accounts, will not have been reached lightly. In addition to his exemplary performance -- a 0.90 ERA and eight consecutive hitless innings -- he is highly popular with his teammates, many of whom watched him rehabilitate from two major arm surgeries.

General manager Neal Huntington was showing no cards when the subject was broached yesterday.

"Sean is very much in the mix," he said.

The 40-man roster, to which he would need to be added, currently has one vacancy.

Burnett was not with the team yesterday, as he and fiancee Jessica awaited the birth of the couple's first child in Wellington, Fla.

Yates, 30, is a 6-foot-4 right-hander with a crisp fastball and viable slider, and he will be given a chance immediately at late-inning duty.

"This is a power arm who we feel can compete right away," Huntington said.

Yates appeared in 131 games for Atlanta in his first two full seasons, putting up ERAs of 3.96 and 5.18 with 115 strikeouts and 62 walks. The latter ERA came in 2007, which saw a steep decline at the season's midpoint.

The one plus: He held right-handed batters to a .213 average.

"I did go back and look at a lot of video, and the conclusion I came to was I just was behind in the count a lot, 1-0 and 2-0, and having to come over the middle of the plate," Yates told reporters in Orlando, Fla. "It makes the hitters start sitting on pitches."

Of the trade, he added, "They said they're excited to have me, and I could pitch myself into a very prominent role."

The Braves actively shopped Yates, who was out of options and having a poor spring with eight runs in as many innings.

As manager Bobby Cox put it, "We were in a predicament, and we got a nice prospect. Good for them, good for us."

Redmond, 22, was one of just four legitimate starting pitching prospects below the Class AAA level. He was 8-13 with a 4.39 ERA with Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Altoona last season, and he would have opened this one with Altoona.

As expected, the Pirates paid the $300,000 buyout to Kim early in the morning. His one-year, $850,000 contract would have been guaranteed if he had not been unconditionally released by 2 p.m.

"Obviously, it's a financial hit," Huntington said. "We felt like we brought him in to try to make our club, and he didn't. We want to take the best 12 pitchers north."

It was not clear what Kim will do next, but this much is certain: He will do so with new representation. It was learned yesterday that he has replaced super-agent Scott Boras, who negotiated the contract with the Pirates, with Jeff Borris of the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

The surprise of the day was the release of Wright, soon after management had sought -- and received -- his permission to delay a spring escape clause until today. He had been scheduled to pitch yesterday afternoon.

Wright's next step is uncertain. He could declare free agency -- judging from his hasty exit from the clubhouse upon getting the news, that seemed a possibility -- or he could accept the Pirates' invitation to report to the minors.

Mientkiewicz was added to the 40-man roster after a spring in which he needed to make a team as a bench player for the first time in his career. He batted .268 and handled all of his new positions well.

"I have mixed feelings, to be honest, because I still see myself as an everyday player," he said. "But I'll give everything I have to be a valuable piece to this team."

The other subtractions:

• Reliever Masumi Kuwata, 40, announced his retirement after 23 professional seasons, including 21 as a superstar in Japan. He had a 1.80 ERA and fresh life to his pitches this spring, but never seemed to be in the running.

• Reliever Hector Carrasco, the other elder statesman at 38, was released despite a 1.29 ERA and good zip to his fastball.

• Reliever Juan Perez, who might need major elbow surgery, was released. Huntington said he could be re-signed to a minor-league contract but that the team did not wish to pay him while his status is uncertain.

• Two infielders were sent out: Josh Wilson, a Mt. Lebanon native, was designated for assignment. If he clears waivers, the Pirates would like to keep him. Jorge Velandia was reassigned and will report to Indianapolis.

Those moves got the Pirates down to the final number of position players, 13, seemingly ensuring that second baseman Freddy Sanchez will be with the team on opening day. But Huntington left open the possibility that, if Sanchez's shoulder is hurting, Velandia or prospect Brian Bixler could be recalled.