Jayson Stark is reporting the Cubs-Rockies-Pirates deal that involved outfielder Brad Hawpe moving to Pittsburgh for pitchers Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzelanny is off the table. Stark says one team that approached the Pirates says it was told flatly that the Pirates aren’t trading Maholm or any of their young starting pitchers.
If the Pirates want to bring in a left handed bat, they must be willing to trade off some of their young pitching. The idea of Hawpe coming to Pittsburgh is not that intriquing but rumors of David Littlefield pursuing Braves first baseman Adam Laroche must be completely false because the Braves are asking for pitching in return.
Crazy rumor of the day was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays offering a contract to Barry Bonds. ESPN’s Buster Olney says there is no truth to this rumor. Talk about crazy.
