Nate_For_Prez: I still think that Bautista has a shot to be an above average 3B. I don't think he'll ever hit 30 homeruns but he could hit enough HR's and doubles to contribute. Am I the only one who still thinks that? Will management stick with him this year to see if he can turn it around or is he on a short lease with his recent play?

Dejan Kovacevic: First off, we ask that you check all pitchforks at the door. ... OK, much better. Welcome to one and all, angry citizens, angrier this week than most, and not without significant cause. ... Are you the only one who believes in Bautista? Probably not, but the number surely is dwindling. I get the impression more and more from management that Bautista had better step it up very soon if he is to convince anyone that he is anything more than a stopgap/bench-guy-in-waiting. He has been a great disappointment to the Pirates so far, maybe more than any player. ... And he knows it.

Pickman: It seems that the team might have some of those he we go again feelings from the dejected quotes after yesterday's game. I know you weren't there this past weekend, but any sense that perhaps those thoughts started creeping in after they not only lose but get blown out in half the past week's losses?

Dejan Kovacevic: Paul Meyer was with the club in Chicago, as you point out, but I can tell you that there really was no dejection of the type you describe while I covered them in Los Angeles right before that. But three games as awful as those at Wrigley certainly can change a lot. Should be interesting to see how the coming week goes against teams not nearly as strong as the Dodgers or Cubs.

MPM: Are the Pirates still planning on using Sean Burnett as a reliever, when he is eventually recalled from AAA? With as poor as the rotation has been, other than Ian Snell, it would seem more he may be more valuable as a starter than a reliever at this point.

Dejan Kovacevic: Burnett is being groomed for nothing other than relief at this point. If a starting option is sought, it almost surely would be John Van Benschoten, who is 3-0 and has shown better-than-usual control with Indianapolis. Or it could be Phil Dumatrait, the de facto sixth starter.

Mike_Easler: I know that it is early, but can you see a scenerio soon that the Bucs would make any dramatic moves such as sending players down, releasing them or changing the "starters"?

Dejan Kovacevic: Almost impossible because of waivers, service time and other contractual issues. But it certainly seems a decent idea on the surface, one could understand. The Pirates' play has been abysmal on so many levels, team-wide and individually in most cases.

NYCH: Is there any chance that players are thinking too much about defense out on the field, with all the instruction they're getting? If not, then doesn't this run of errors just have to be a fluke?

Dejan Kovacevic: Making excuses for the types of errors being committed seems to be stretching things. They have played terribly in the field. Period. Sure, they are doing extra work, getting extra instruction, but none of that matters compared to actual execution. They have been, to use Adam LaRoche's term, "embarrassing."

NYCH: What is it about the Cubs? Maybe it will be less frustrating if I know what it is. We've had trouble with them for awhile now. I don't think we play them again for months. Thanks goodness!

Dejan Kovacevic: The Cubs are a better baseball team. Not much to analyze there.

NYCH: Will Nate overstress about this hitting streak?

Dejan Kovacevic: Apparently not. And he does not sound as if he is about to. ... A common question I have for him these days is whether or not he still has his feet on the ground. His typical response is to laugh and say that he is approaching each at-bat pitch-by-pitch. An interesting note, too: He wants no part of hearing about his numbers or checking them himself. And not just the hitting streak. He has no wish even to hear his batting average.

wrv2: Dejan, any chance the Pirates swap Nyjer Morgan and Kevin Thompson? Morgan has not done much off the bench and Thompson is hitting .350. Our lineup needs a spark. Also, is Osoria in trouble of losing his job anytime soon?

Dejan Kovacevic: Thompson has been seen as a reserve option from the moment he was acquired, so that cannot be ruled out. He has been very hot of late and, with his speed, he can bring some of the traits Morgan could on the basepaths and in the field, including as a backup to McLouth in center. ... Osoria? No, not at all. He is the only sinkerballer in the pen.

NYCH: Last week at this time, I thought we were going to see more of Mientkiewicz at 3rd. It hasn't happened. Is that non a popular option with management?

Dejan Kovacevic: One way or another, the Pirates have to get more production out of third base. But using Mientkiewicz or Chris Gomez there ... that achieves little for the long term, and Neil Walker hardly is ready, so there are no easy answers.

Mike_Easler: How can the Pirates defense be so bad when they were decent last year? Could it be that Jack Wilson is a much bigger piece of this team then we all thought?

Dejan Kovacevic: Could be.

BenderHeel: Any chance that Adam Laroche sits until May? I'm serious. Trotting him out there consistently obviously hasn't helped him or the team. In fact, it's clearly hurt the team and might inhibit his turn-around.

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, that would ignore the obvious element that nobody just wakes up one day and gets hot. His ascent to becoming a borderline contributor will have to be a gradual one, as last year showed. That, quite apparently, means more pain in the interim. ... But you are right: LaRoche's bat is very much hurting the Pirates' offense.

Joe_L_Brown: Is there any remote chance that Matt Morris could be switched to the bullpen if he continues to struggle as a starter? He seems to have a couple of good innings at the beginning of each game. That's all the team needs from relievers most of the time. It would be a way of getting some value from his enourmous salary.

Dejan Kovacevic: Sure, there is. But you are not going to see that happen after three or four starts, based on what I hear.

Pitiful: Why should anyone be surprised at how pathetic this ballclub is. Management was dumb enough to make no improvements to a team that lost 90 games last season.

Dejan Kovacevic: I detect very little surprise from the readership, actually, other than at the disintegration of the defense and, to a lesser extent, that some of the starting pitching has regressed.

SandlotWizard: What do you think of the NL Central so far?

Dejan Kovacevic: Hard to say. I see these teams, really, only when they play the Pirates. By that measure, the Cubs look like the greatest team in the history of organized sport.

BenderHeel: Any word as to the front office's disappointment regarding Marte's awful pitching thus far and the effect on his trade value?

Dejan Kovacevic: Marte really has not been awful. He had a rough start, then a lousy outing in a blowout in Chicago. Remember, with his number, that one earned run can blow out his ERA because of the low number of batters he faces. ... There is no question that he could be more consistent, but he would seem to be among the least of the Pirates' concerns at the moment.

Borat_Sagdiyev: Mybae Jim Tracy wasn't that bad a manager after all. He coaxed 68 wins out of this sorry outfit.

Dejan Kovacevic: The more glaring number at the moment, and one that some might cite, would be that the Pirates were a far better defensive team. But, in fairness to the current guys, Tracy got 162 games out of Jack Wilson and a good enough version of Freddy Sanchez to finish Gold Glove runner-up at second base. A huge difference there. ... Remember, every single one of these 24 errors has been committed in the infield so far, including pitchers and catchers. Losing that anchor in the middle can be -- and is, in this case -- devastating.

jimb056: 24 errors..............We're leading the league at something !

Dejan Kovacevic: Both leagues. Maybe all the minor leagues, too, if anyone looked into it.

MoTownWV: You certainly can't argue that Bautista has disappointed more than Laroche can you? Huntington has to be giving a huge sigh of relief that he didnt sign the long term offer during the off season.

Dejan Kovacevic: If you go by the strict definition of disappointment, you certainly could. A slow start by LaRoche has become the norm. That is not to suggest it should be accepted or tolerated by the Pirates -- I certainly do not get that idea -- but it can take away some of the "disappointment." Bautista was coming off a rather encouraging second half in 2007 and has done little so far.

Pitiful: I know it is old news for you and your surely covered it in the winter, but everytime I watch a broadcast with the other team's announcers they always laugh at how John Russell was fired as the 3rd base coach and now he is the manager 2 years later. It's another reason why the Pirates are the biggest joke in pro sports.

Dejan Kovacevic: The management team that fired Russell is completely different than the one that hired him as manager.

James_Taipei: Will Nate be representing the Pirates in the All-Star game this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: He would have to gain some national profile, one would think, but that seems to be happening already. ... A little too early for this stuff, though.

jefft: Dejan--I'm about to commit heresy, I realize, but our hottest outfielder by far is Nate. What could he fetch in a trade, & would the Pirates consider that?

Dejan Kovacevic: Hottest outfielder by far? No need to take this to that extreme when Xavier Nady also is playing very well. ... As for trading McLouth, remember that the Pirates did float his name at the Winter Meetings, but my understanding was that they did this only as a trial balloon to gauge his value internally, something I wrote about in detail at the time.

SandlotWizard: Is the Pirates stinkyness helping to solve the offseason question of, "when do you blow this team up if theyre contending in July?"

Dejan Kovacevic: Yes. Each passing loss -- and inclusive "stinkyness" -- brings that question closer to resolution.

Ryan: Do you believe a healthy Jack Wilson can help get the defense back on track? And speakking of health, how healthy is Freddy's shoulder?

Dejan Kovacevic: To your first Q: Wow, yes, of course. To the second, Sanchez is fine.

WietersIsGood: Not to beat a dead horse, but how about Wieters demolishing minor league pitching. Certainly would be a nice piece to have.

Dejan Kovacevic: That poor horse is now about 8 feet deep.

Ryan: What are the chances James Boone gets a promotion in the near future. He's killing the ball at AA Altoona?

Dejan Kovacevic: Kyle Stark singled out Boone for praise when I visited minor-league camp in the final week of spring, and that looks pretty good right now. Check out Boone's numbers of late, and then consider that he actually had a slow opening week. ... As for a promotion, seems unlikely for the moment, if only because Boone's priority has to be staying healthy after extensive time lost to injury and, also, that the Pirates want to see him in center field to elevate his value. Center is taken at Indianapolis, of course.

theWellHungarian: Do players purposely "stink up the joint" here in Pittsburgh in hopes of getting traded to a better, more competitive team (ie: Ollie Perez)? Is LaRoche & Bay doing this now? I can see each getting traded and then going right back to hitting like an established big leaguer

Dejan Kovacevic: Wow.

WietersIsGood: Any update on Brad Lincoln's comeback? Are there any other pitching prospects worth watching?

Dejan Kovacevic: Lincoln continues to throw, but my understanding is that he will not get back to full-throttle game-level pitching at his assigned level for another couple of months. That has been the projection all along. ... As for pitching prospects, check out Marino Salas' relief numbers with Indianapolis. The Pirates are very happy with some adjustments he has made since the spring and are keeping a very close eye on him.

WietersIsGood: Has Doumit grabbed the starting catcher job for now with his bat? It drove me insane how the previous management rarely gave him the chance to catch, considering his bat.

Dejan Kovacevic: He is playing a lot more than Paulino, so he seems to be Tandem A to Paulino's Tandem B.

Duval_Pirate: I just logged on, sorry for being late. Has anyone commented Dejan on Laroche being a completed dog yet?

Dejan Kovacevic: If you mean in terms of effort, that would be 180 degrees incorrect. But there is no question, as mentioned earlier, that his hitting has been terrible and he now is beginning to take the bat into the field.

jefft: Dejan--here's something to cheer Pirates' nation--since he was DFA'd today, they could re-sign Rajai Davis. That way, it won't look like they gave up anything but money for Matt Morris!

Dejan Kovacevic: It gets lost in that transaction, but the Pirates not only took on that full salary but also gave up a player off their 40-man and 25-man roster.

PiratesMexico: Dejan whats wrong with the players attitude, Ronny Paulino makes mistakes and he always smiles, he struck out and he smiles, do the pirates have a person that helps them to motivate?

Dejan Kovacevic: If you need a person to motivate you to succeed in any walk of life, your chance of success is minimal.

praveen: After seeing other PIrates stars flameout after initial stardom, anyone worried that Nate's performance might be affected by the constant losing in a couple of years?

Dejan Kovacevic: Where are these Pirates who experienced "initial stardom?" I have not seen one in two decades.

BarryO: Also a little early, but predict the starting outfield, post trade deadline, please.

Dejan Kovacevic: McLouth in left, McCutchen in center, Pearce in right. ... Getting ready to head to the ballpark, so thanks to one and all. The guy at the door will give back your pitchforks if you show him your voucher. ... Matt Morris tonight. Q&A tomorrow.