Perrotto on Pirates shortstop position: Team eyeing stop-gap veteran?

The National League Gold Glove awards will be announced Tuesday night and there is a chance Ronny Cedeno could be the winner at shortstop. He is one of three finalists along with Atlanta's Alex Gonzalez and Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki.

If Cedeno does win, he would be the first Pirates shortstop with a Gold Glove since Jay Bell in 1993. Ironically, it would also come one day after the Pirates effectively said goodbye to Cedeno after 2 1/3 seasons as their starting shortstop.

The Pirates declined Cedeno's $3 million club option on Tuesday and it was a bit of a surprise. It is a relatively small salary for a starting shortstop and many in the organization do not believe that Chase d'Arnaud is ready to play the position at the major-league on a full-time basis.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington believes he can find a comparable player at the same price or possible less. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but the pickings are slim on the free-agent market beyond Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins, who both figure to sign contracts far above the Pirates' price range.

The Pirates also aren't likely to sign Yuniesky Betancourt and Rafael Furcal either, because of both the potential cost and the fact that all of them, like Reyes and Rollins, would require the Bucs to give up draft pick compensation.

According to a person with knowledge of the Pirates' thinking,