Kevin Gorman

I tend to look at some of these guys and I'd rather the Pirates surprise me than disappoint me.

I think the fans...

see big names and think oh that's the guy that's the perfect fit it seems to be that the pirates try to take guys that are either fresh off the waiver wire or in need of a change of location or something like that they're not going to go out and trade good prospects and add 10 million dollars in salary that doesn't just sound that just doesn't sound like the way the pirates do business to me

Well, I mean, if you're looking at natural progression, I think Tamar just turned 21.

You know, he's going to be 22 sometime this season.

I would think because of the reputation he had coming in as a guy that was considered a generational hitter coming out of high school, you know, had been compared to Ken Griffey and

And Terry Pendleton and Barry Bonds, guys who were former MVPs, in terms of his hitting ability, I think there's probably a market for him.

I think you'd be trading him at his low, though, coming off a season where he was a little bit up and down.

I think the concern with him is his defense right now.

that they're trying to make him into a guy who can be an everyday second baseman, who can also possibly play some shortstop if necessary.

There's some people that project him as possibly a future right fielder, that he could be the kind of guy that could move to the outfield.

But I would think that with Lau being on a one-year deal and Gonzalez kind of being up in the air, that Johnson would still be part of the Pirates' future.

future plans but i also think he's the type of guy that they might be willing to trade and that somebody's getting a a guy who's a top five top 10 pirates prospect that he'd be a guy that would look attractive in a deal kevin we appreciate the time man are you heading out to bradenton at at what point yeah i think we're driving down on sunday i'm actually going to drive down wow and uh that's better that way so that's you have your own car and myself and christopher horner the trip photographer are going to go down

and hit the ground running and looking forward to getting out of this weather and enjoying some Florida sunshine and seafood.

Thanks for having me, guys.

I was enjoying your 1137 Greenfield column on Kathy Bradley and her family.

Thanks, man.

I really enjoyed the wiffle ball talk here just now.

As the son of a Greenfielder, it's kind of been a surreal experience to see a Greenfield guy coaching the Steelers and a Greenfield guy as the mayor, too.

It's pretty cool right now.