Is 1 for 3 bad?

Well my predictions were off, but I got one right. The Pirates did get rid of Virgil Vazquez, Eric Hacker, and Stephen Lerud. Now I had predicted Virgil's departure, and I had also thought Luis Cruz would hit the road along with Steven Jackson.

Now I have to say that I am glad that Steven Jackson is sticking around. I think he has a chance to compete for a place on the roster out of Spring Training. I have no problem with Stephen Lerud being left unprotected. He is not a great prospect, and with our last number one pick being a catcher, his future was nil. I have to admit that I did not think Eric Hacker would be left off the roster. He did not do well in his very few appearances, but then again, I didn't think that he got much of a fair shot. I am also a little worried that Luis Cruz is going to be on the team next year. Even Bixler is an improvement over him.

Still it is much more important that we get Lincoln and Hernandez protected. The Pirates are ready to add them and it also looks like they will not be protecting Shelby Ford and Jim Negyrch.