TheMadChatter: Your server is worse than the Pirates!

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes, it would appear that way. Sorry for the delay. I promise to make up for it by staying the extra 10 minutes.

tom: Hi Dejan, what would the Pirates be expecting to get back in a trade for Bay or Nady?

Dejan Kovacevic: They were looking for elite prospects in the offseason, and there is now way that position has softened in the interim, with how those two are performing.

tom: Do you think Paulino has shown enough that the Pirates would keep him around next year?

Dejan Kovacevic: They own his rights through arbitration the next three years, but teams tend to get tougher with such decisions when it comes to paying arbitration. One would think, seeing Paulino sitting in favor of 35-year-old Raul Chavez, that he has more to do to convince management -- or, at least, John Russell -- of his long-term worth.

RV: At what point do the Pirates have to have long term concerns about their big 4 starting pitchers? These 4 main pitchers all have around 4 years of experience. They should be consistent starters by now! These guys were supposed to be the horses that kept the team competitive until more talented position players were brought into the mix. Dumatrait seems to be the only one that has a real clue lately. Though I know Duke has been consistent, he still gives up way too many hits which is likely why his ERA won?t drop below 4.00.

Dejan Kovacevic: At what point? How about opening week? As you point out, only Dumatrait has risen above expectations, only Duke has met them (though the bar was set low), and the rest have been below. Particularly Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny. And there is no disputing your point that experience really should be no issue for any of them at this stage.

tom: Dejan, with regards to the Nady/Bay trade, would you quantify elite prospects. Is that 2,3?

Dejan Kovacevic: Probably depends on how elite they are.

charleston_charlies: You mentioned in this morning article, this draft may not be deep. Has management given any indication that is the reason it may only sign 20 - 25 player? I'm confused by this considering the lack of any depth in the minors.

Dejan Kovacevic: The draft not being deep is a reference to the upper end, not overall. And management's explanation for signing 20-plus players is that this will allow them, in theory, to spend the bulk of their draft budget on above-slot talent if the players they covet are available. Remains to be seen, obviously, how that plays out.

Suitner: If the Pirates draft Posey, what do you think is the timetable for his arrival andwhat does this do to Ryan Doumit's place on the team?

Dejan Kovacevic: Posey looks two-plus years away, mostly because he has been behind the plate for only two years. Generally, major league evaluators want to see three full years of catching -- professionally -- before someone handles that position at the top level.

al_oliver: I am nervous about the possibility of using the first pick for Buster Posey. Could a recently converted catcher be that good?

Dejan Kovacevic: The word is that he has adjusted remarkably well in terms of receiving and footwork, and that he has a very good arm. In general, he is seen as an exceptional athlete. ... As for being nervous about it, the word I have gotten -- and wrote about it in the Sunday paper -- is that the Pirates are leaning toward Pedro Alvarez.

deal_nothington: If Pedro Alvarez is taken #1 by the Rays, who should the Pirates take at #2 in your opinion, and why?

Dejan Kovacevic: The one virtual lock in all this seems to be that the Rays will pass on Alvarez. The next person I talk to who tells me otherwise will be the first. The reason most commonly given is that the Rays have Evan Longoria at third for the long-term future, but there also is a history -- as there is in Pittsburgh, you might have heard -- of avoiding contentious negotiations.

al_oliver: To avoid the public relations disaster that was Moskos, isn't the new regime forced to take Pedro Alvarez to prove Boras won't stop them from improving the team?

Dejan Kovacevic: Say what? Come back at me with that one.

Teddy_KGB: It really chaps my behind to hear JR talk about how well Snell pitched yesterday. Call me crazy, but he got shelled! How is this a good performance? What happenned to results and wins? It's just hard for me to fathom why this mind set takes hold. Pitch better and get hitters out. UGH!

Dejan Kovacevic: There is no question that, when the Pirates are looking at Snell and Gorzelanny, they are setting the bar low enough at this point to be discussing simple things such as velocity and ease of motion. Command, presence and results are on another plateau. Should give some indication of how far off both are right now.

RV: What pitchers are the Pirates looking at?

Dejan Kovacevic: If you mean for the top pick, the only one still on their board is Brian Matusz of San Diego State University, but my understanding is that he is very much in the just-in-case pile. The Pirates' view was that they would take a pitcher only if he were some horse, and no such pitcher looks available.

Teddy_KGB: And why are the minors off limits to Gorzo and Snell. I thought sending messages was this new regimes mantra. They got rid of Morris for not performing.

Dejan Kovacevic: Read Paul Zeise's notebook this morning.

charleston_charlies: Last year Winters received a 5million dollars signing bonus. Was that also a major league contract?

Dejan Kovacevic: It is Matt Wieters, and his bonus actually was $6 million with no major league contract.

PhillyMarty: Review of Baseball America's ranking of the top draftees indicates that the college hitters have a BA in the .370-.410 range. All but Alvarez who is only at .317. Why should I not be concerned about his prospects?

Dejan Kovacevic: Whether you are concerned or not is your choice, but Alvarez missed six weeks to a broken bone in his right hand. He returned April 3 and mostly performed as he had before but without the power. I have heard and read that players with his injury usually are sapped of power for 12-18 months, but everything comes back fine.

humbucker: To me, the most impressive item in Saturday's box score was zero walks allowed. The trend did not continue yesterday, but at least there were as many K's as walks allowed. Do you think the Pirates' pitching staff will continue this trend?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is no cause to project something like that.

PirateApologist: Do you think that teams should be able to trade up and down in the draft or the Pirates should be able to trade Nady for LA's #1 pick etc.?

Dejan Kovacevic: Frank Coonelly had some interesting thoughts on that in the Sunday "On the Pirates" feature that you can still find on our site.

bpnate: Does Jeff Andrews have anything to do with the Pirates starting pitching woes? His fingerprints are all over some of these arms, especially at the lower levels they started out at.

Dejan Kovacevic: I always say that, if one is to praise a positional coach when a pitcher is doing well, that coach should bear blame, too. But, as noted above, in the cases of Snell and Gorzelanny, their starting points right now seem to be very low, and any progress likely will come in baby steps. That might explain, unpopular as it seems, why all concerned were saying yesterday that they were happy with Snell. If nothing else, some of his stuff seems to have returned. We will see if the same is true of Gorzelanny tonight.

charleston_charlies: Sorry about the spelling.

Dejan Kovacevic: No need to apologize. Rapid-fire chat. I am sure I am making mistakes, too, just trying to get as many Qs answered as possible.

Rob: Hi Dejan, do you see drafting Alvarez as a either push to Neil Walker or maybe a sign the Pirates are getting frustrated with him ... or neither. Simply drafting the best available guy.

Dejan Kovacevic: Completely immaterial to Walker. The Pirates are virtually bankrupt in the minors. They need talent. If they get multiple players at one position, nothing in the labor agreement prevents them from making trades. Better to have two excellent players at one position than one excellent and one so-so.

Teddy_KGB: I just say why not give JVB or Bullington a shot. These guys just can't keep losing while trying to find themselves.

Dejan Kovacevic: Other alternatives just have to be considered if these pitchers keep going as they are. Neither the team nor the player benefits.

bpnate: Could Tyler Yates make a transition to the rotation a la Dumatrait? At a national level, look at Ryan Dempster.

Dejan Kovacevic: I have not heard of any reliever being discussed for the rotation. Yates has more pitches than people think, but the Pirates just love what he can do for them in the bullpen.

PhillyMarty: Has Jimmy Barthmaier been promoted because of need at Indy or because of satisfaction with a 2-4, 4.86 (w/l, era)? I see he is on the 40-man roster and came over in the off-season from Houston. Can you tell us anything more about him?

Dejan Kovacevic: Just a spot start. He is back with Altoona. By and large, he has done well at times but run into some of these pitch-limit issues that are holding down innings of other pitchers, as well. Perhaps it will make him more efficient.

MoTownWV: It seems most teams are doing a better job of getting impact prospects to the Big Leagues within 1-3 years of acquisition. Why do the Pirates seem to struggle with this? Is it poor player evaluation prior to signing or is it a developmental issue? It seems a team like the Pirates would have more opportunities for a fast track than other franchises.

Dejan Kovacevic: Lumping an entirely new management team with the old makes for a completely illogical discussion, I think. There will be plenty enough drafts, beginning with the one Thursday and Friday, to discuss these guys on their own merits.

al_oliver: Is Alvarez viewed as a better prospect than Wieters? How common are major league contracts given to recent draftees?

Dejan Kovacevic: The general feeling is that the upper end of the draft last year was better. So, no, I have not heard that Alvarez is better than Wieters. And major league contracts are extremely rare.

Suitner: What is going on with Steve Pearce? He started out slowly. What's his stock right now?

Dejan Kovacevic: He is having some trouble with offspeed stuff, as Class AAA pitchers appear to have adjusted to a soft spot. As all good hitters must, it is now his turn to adjust back. As for his stock, the Pirates sound very high on him, but they also sound vindicated for having sent him back to Indianapolis rather than opening the season with him.

PhillyMarty: TB shocks and takes Alvarez, then what? Are you aware of the awful track record of Catchers taken in the first round?

Dejan Kovacevic: It would be a shock, but that surely is why the Pirates still really have three position players on the board. If I had to guess at a No. 2 in that event, it would be Tim Beckham. Posey's name does not come up much.

DerekBellLives: Is there any pitching help at Double A that could take a double leap this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: None. Hard enough for the Pirates to find help in Indianapolis.

bpnate: Other than the obvious, pitching, what positions do you believe the Pirates will address at least in the higher rounds of the draft?

Dejan Kovacevic: My understanding is that positions will have nothing to do with it. They are flat-out going for the best player available all the way through. This is not the NFL where positional needs are a priority. It takes years for these kids to arrive, and the only thing that matters at this stage of talent acquisition is getting good talent.

al_oliver: All those pitchers drafted in the first round and all those injuries. Medical staff incompetence or just dumb luck?

Dejan Kovacevic: The medical staff only is a factor after a player is hurt, with the notable exception of shutting down a player who reports he is ailing. The far more likely culprit is the drafting (check Brad Lincoln's inning count at the University of Houston) and pitch-limit discipline in terms of development, as well as just dumb luck.

Matt_Jacobson: In your draft analysis, have you heard where the Bucs may be thinking about placing Alvarez (assuming that they can sign him before the end of the summer)? A, AA . . .?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is no chance something like that would be getting discussed at this point.

PhillyMarty: The "ace" of the rotation on August will be ... ?

Dejan Kovacevic: Paul Maholm. For one, I stand by my preseason prediction that he will break out, iffy as that looks now. For another, he has a history of better second halves.

PhillyMarty: Given the 12-18 month power lag for injuries like Alvarez', any reason to think there will be little urgency on his part to sign this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: No. If he goes No. 2 overall, that makes for about as good a payday as you can hope as a prospect.

Pickman: Any updates to how Meek is doing in the Minors? felt bad for his rough time up here in the majors and hoped he's turned it around in the minors.

Dejan Kovacevic: Better than he did in the majors. A few strikeouts, a 3.00 ERA, but still too many hits and walks.

bpnate: Who is your NL MVP? I say Utley has a slight edge over Chipper and Berkman.

Dejan Kovacevic: In voting for MVP at the end of the year, I always take a careful step back from the Philadelphia and Colorado guys (though Coors is playing more fairly these days), so I would give great pause to Utley. I would choose Chipper right now, but there is a long way to go.

bpnate: Does Adam Laroche have to have strong second half to be a Pirate in 2009?

Dejan Kovacevic: I never have heard that he might be out of the team's plans, but a strong second half is just as much a part of his history as the lousy starts. One more Q today ...

Mike_Grembi: How was your daughter's dance recital?

Dejan Kovacevic: It was excellent, but the Worst Father Ever distinction remains in place. OK, one more that has to do with baseball ...

bpnate: Do you think Jeff Andrews is starting to come under the gun for the Pirates starting pitching woes? His fingerprints are all over some of these arms.

Dejan Kovacevic: It is highly likely that Andrews is fortunate so much attention has been focused on the hockey team at this stage. A newspaper's columnists -- meaning those who express opinion, such as Bob Smizik, Ron Cook and Gene Collier at our paper -- and radio talk-show hosts tend to be highly influential in such matters, but there attention is very much diverted, understandably, by the Cup final. ... To be sure, as I wrote above, the starting pitching is the culprit for the Pirates' record right now. But I might also add here, to be fair: The relievers report to Andrews, too, as well as bullpen coach Luis Dorante. And there have been some success stories there. ... Q&A returns tomorrow.