Could the Pirates still make a splash?

At this point, I think that you could make a pretty strong case that the Pirates have made their last flashy move of the 2012-13 offseason. They already signed Russell Martin to the largest free agent contract in team history. Then they came out of nowhere to sign a high upside starting pitcher in Francisco "BetaMax" Liriano (can this be his new nickname? Yes, I'm officially going to make this his nickname). Finally, they traded closer Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox in a solid if somewhat uninspired move.

It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple more pieces shuffled around. They might try to sign another LOOGY or a veteran bench bat, but I don't think there's anything else that will land on the front page the Trib's sports section. Honestly, that's probably a good thing. Most of the splashy moves don't really seem like good fits to me. Sure, landing Justin Upton in a trade would be exciting but it doesn't sound like Arizona wants to sell low on him, and I certainly don't want to overspend. Many of the remaining big name free agents were given qualifying offers from their former teams and I'd hate to see the Pirates give up the #14 pick in the draft (Oscar Mercado?) for the privilege to overpay Kyle Lohse. Still, I can't help but feel like there's one move that the Pirates should...although probably won't...really consider.

2013 MLB Draft - Personal Favorites

The draft is still half a year away, but that doesn't mean it's too far away to preview.  Thus far, there have been 4 articles full of profiles of some of the top names to know for the draft.  There was also an additional article profiling some of the top players eligible for the 2013 draft previously selected by the Pirates.  Those can all be viewed here.

Early Look at Names for the 2013 Draft

The 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft is about as fresh as it can get, concluding earlier this afternoon.  Save for a guys who were eager to start their professional careers, the ink hasn't dried yet on the recent draftees contracts; virtually none have even signed yet.  So that means it's time to start speculating about the 2013 draft.  A mock draft would be nearly impossible for two reasons: things will change so dramatically between now and next June and the draft order isn't even set yet with well over half the major league season still to be played.

That said, we can go ahead and take look some names to start watching for the 2013 draft.  The list will include both high school and college players.  The players are not ranked in a particular order. Check it out after the jump.