The draft began with the Detroit Tigers picking catcher/outfielder Chris Shelton, a noteworthy hitter with some defensive flaws who played at Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Altoona last season. The San Diego Padres used the second pick on center fielder Rich Thompson, an accomplished defensive player with a suspect bat whom the Pirates acquired in a trade for minor-league pitcher John Wasdin.

After the third pick, the spotlight was back on the Pirates three more times.

The New York Mets grabbed left-handed pitcher Frank Brooks, who was acquired in the trade for Mike Williams. The Milwaukee Brewers selected right-handed pitcher Jeff Bennett, who split the season between Altoona and Nashville. The Baltimore Orioles chose third baseman Jose Bautista, a promising player but one who is not considered ready to fill the need at third base.

The frequency with which the Pirates' name was called prompted a stir.

Brooks was later traded to the A's and Thompson was traded to the Royals. The Indians also lost five players in the draft.

The Pirates received $50,000 per claim, or $250,000 total. But the talent drain is compounded by the loss of first baseman Walter Young, reliever Duaner Sanchez and pitcher Matt Guerrier when the 40-man roster was set Nov. 20.

And it begs a number of questions.

If the Pirates had three openings on the 40-man roster, why weren't some of the players protected? If the Pirates are building for the long run through their minor-league system, how can they expose talent? If the goal is to get better, why are the Pirates leaving the winter meetings with less than they brought?

There are rationalizations, including a provision of the Rule 5 draft that requires clubs to keep their draft picks on the major-league roster for a full season or offer them back at half the waiver claim. Two or perhaps three of the picks could be back with the Pirates before October.

General manager Dave Littlefield said the need to add free agents to bolster the lineup for next season was more important than keeping players the club believes would not make an immediate impact. The players received in return in other trades -- outfielder Jason Bay and left-handed pitcher Cory Stewart, for example -- are rated ahead of the players lost. And even though the Pirates' minor-league system has been unproductive of late, it has stronger prospects -- pitchers John Grabow and Mike Gonzalez, for example -- than those who were exposed.

Shelton was described by one organization insider as a notch below Craig Wilson as a hitter and poorer defensively. Bautista was not deemed ready for the majors after only six weeks in Class AA.

"You hate to have them selected, but combining all those issues and the needs we have in '04 at the major-league level, plus the fact they have to spend the whole season in the big leagues, I don't feel any different right now than I did on Nov. 20," Littlefield said.

"As much as you hate to have players selected, I also still feel with the priorities we have, it makes the most sense for us right now. I know it's a little bit of a mixed message on the surface. Time will tell from today's events whether we were right or wrong. It's not the end game. The end game is after the whole major-league season."

If he had not left the openings on the 40-man roster, Littlefield said he would not have room to add a third baseman, closer and starting pitcher and fill the Pirates' other needs.

"If we thought they would have played in the big leagues for us next year, of course they would have been on our 40-man roster," Graham said. "We're not going to know the full impact of it for a couple of years until you find out what kind of player they end up being at the major-league level. You don't know what kind of major-league players they might be."

NOTES -- In the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Pirates also lost shortstop Chris Bass off the Altoona roster to the Marlins. They acquired right-handed pitcher Justin Lord from the Royals' system, outfielder Gary Thomas from the Cubs and outfielder Alexis Gordon from the Orioles. ... Speculation about Jason Kendall's future won't end with the conclusion of the winter meetings yesterday. The Padres are still interested in him and are willing to ship catcher Ramon Hernandez and pitcher Kevin Jarvis if the Pirates pay a portion of Kendall's contract. Oakland's need for a catcher was filled yesterday when Michael Barrett was obtained from the Expos.