INDIANAPOLIS -- John Russell, very much the low-volume type, hardly is prone to hyperbole.

But the Pirates' manager did offer this rather striking response yesterday when asked if he ever envisions how his team would look once prospects Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata and Brad Lincoln arrive, as all are expected to do next summer ...

"I've gotten to where it's fun to dream now," Russell said at his news conference at Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings. "Because we couldn't do that before. Kind of, what we had was what we had. But, if you look at what we've done in the last year and a half, now two years, we can look and be excited about our future."

Dream?

The $35 million, 62-99, 17-losing-seasons Pirates?

Alvarez is among baseball's elite prospects, Tabata is the Pirates' top outfield prospect, and Lincoln their top pitcher. Management does not project any to make the 25-man roster out of spring training -- though that has not been ruled out -- but all are on course to be promoted from Class AAA after two or three months, similar to center fielder Andrew McCutchen's timing this past season.

That would appear to bode well for the Pirates' future, and long-term objectives clearly remain management's priority. But Russell is entering the final year of his contract, and his first two teams went a combined 129-194, so there is bound to be urgency on the present, as well.

To hear Russell tell it, there will be.

"We're not satisfied with last year. We're not satisfied with the year before," he said. "We need to win more games, and that's the emphasis we're going to put on our players. As Neal Huntington has said, the mass exodus is over. I feel like we've done a very good job with acquisition. I wouldn't say it's completely over because we're still going to look for good baseball trades. But, for the most part, this is our group. And we need to step up."

And on placing an expectation of winning on such an inexperienced roster: "I think they're going to have to handle it. It's time. There's always going to be teaching going on with our staff, but it's time. We need to start succeeding as a team, not just with a few individuals."

Other topics Russell addressed:

• On Matt Capps' status entering spring training: "Matt Capps is our closer. It's Matt's job to lose. And Matt and I have talked. He understands the situation is that he's got to do his job. We have options, with Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek, but it's Matt's job to lose."

• On whether Jeff Clement is the default first baseman: "He's going to have to show he can play. We're not giving jobs away. Having Garrett Jones gives us options, but we'd like Jeff to put a stranglehold on that position."

• On Andy LaRoche's future, in light of Alvarez's imminent arrival at third base: "We'll move him around a little in spring training and have him at second base, where he just played in Instructional League and did well. But Andy's our third baseman right now."

The Pirates' signing of free-agent shortstop Bobby Crosby, which could be made official today pending his physical exam, will be for one year at a guaranteed $1 million plus as much as $500,000 in bonuses based on plate appearances.

The Crosby signing might be the Pirates' only significant move at these Meetings, with no other signings or trades in sight.

"It's been pretty quiet," Huntington said of the trade front. "We've had multiple conversations, but I wouldn't say anything's imminent."

Huntington said that the midnight Saturday deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players or allow them to leave as free agents -- "might be slowing things, in general."

He reiterated that, "at this point, our plan is to tender all eligible players." That would be starter Zach Duke, shortstop Ronny Cedeno and Capps.

A day after sounding uncertain about selecting a player in the Rule 5 draft this morning, Huntington said, "I think there's a good chance we'll take somebody."

The New York Yankees will pick first, having traded with the Washington Nationals to acquire it. Word last night was that the Yankees like pitcher Archimedes Caminero, a hard-throwing, 22-year-old right-hander at the short-season level of the Florida Marlins' system. But they also might reclaim their own prospect, 25-year-old left-hander Zack Kroenke, who had a 1.99 ERA in Class AAA last season.

The Pirates are believed to be leaning toward a pitcher.

• The Pirates will not seek an encore from free-agent outfielder Brian Giles, now 39.

• To whatever degree the Pirates were interested in free-agent pitcher Kameron Loe, other teams appear more interested.

• The Pirates had been among the suitors for outfielder Trent Oeltjen, but he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the week.

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