Sportsfrog.com

Other than being fortunate that the Reds play in their division, sparing them last place, is there anything the Pirates are doing right at the moment? Earlier in the year, one of the things they had going for them was Saloman Torres at closer. Then he began to have issues, leading to arm problems and a DL stay. Oh, and now he is accusing the team of torpedoing his rehab in retaliation for his complaining about the last contract he signed and what he termed as broken promises therein.

The specifics?

“His larger issue with the Pirates, without question, is his perception at how Littlefield handled negotiations leading up to the two-year, $6.5 million contract extension signed in the spring of 2006. Torres, who did not have an agent in those talks, contends that he agreed to less money than market value because Littlefield had strongly suggested — though not in writing — that the team would consider renting one of the two baseball academies Torres built in his native Dominican Republic. ‘I liked the idea,’ Torres said. ‘I was thinking of it like deferred money, something I could have for later in life. They kept me interested enough. They made me believe. Dave told me he’d think about it, but that I’d have to sign at a hometown discount. I did that.’ After signing that contract, then waiting for the Pirates for a few months, then having one last futile talk with Littlefield in November, Torres gave up and rented his second facility to the Texas Rangers late last year.”

Weird. Then again, when you have had the run of horrible seasons the Pirates have had, weird is par for the course.