For those of us who have been hoping for this day to come, rejoice because it is here. In a discussion with WDVE's Mike Prisuta, Colon confirmed that he will indeed move to left guard in order to make room for Mike Adams to start on the offensive line. ESPN speculates here that the new offensive line will look, from left to right like this:

Adams T

Colon G

Pouncey C

DeCastro G

Gilbert T

In my humble opinion, the guard position is the best fit for Colon and the team at this point, and significantly improves the OL, assuming Adams is ready to take over at

EDIT: Meant to mention this earlier. I don't think it's a coincidence that we're seeing Colon moving to LG with Adams at LT. I'm sure part of that is to help Adams adjust and for Colon to help teach him things as they go. Certainly should be a good way to go about it if you ask me. This seems like the best way to go on paper.

Note: I had posted this as a comment in the story on Stevenson Sylvester, but I didn't want to hijack the thread, so I created a separate Fan Post.

I have to admit, I have been caught up in draft fever (can you blame me?). I have been heavily focused on the draft for months (upwards of 7) and I have come to accept that the Steelers very well could draft Dont'a Hightower at pick 1.24. I have been a bit befuddled recently to hear that the Steelers don't necessarily agree with the thousands of draft experts on the internet who feel that ILB is a position of need. However, this could explain why they disagree with our assessments.

Now, in the interest of being completely honest, Steelers Depot admits that it is speculation, but his size fits very well there and he does have a lot of the things people feel Dont'a Hightower do not, including the ability to turn and run. This could also explain why it would seem Kevin Colbert views OLB as more of a need than ILB. Your thoughts?

Adam Schefter is having a huge day on Twitter right now. In addition to reporting on the Saints bounty punishments (I'll let someone more intelligent than I write those up), he reports that the New York Football Jets have traded a 4th round draft pick to the Broncos in exchange for the rights, services, and jersey sales of Mr. Tim Tebow.

There's a good chance this makes the Jets better at QB </sarcasm>. Seriously though, it's an interesting move. I feel like it begs the question, what the hell are the Jets doing this off season? They courted Peyton Manning, signed Mark Sanchez to a five year deal, then traded for one of the most wildly popular players in the game, even if he's not very good. Clearly, Rex Ryan does not have very much faith in Mark Sanchez, but I don't necessarily know this one.

Reports all across the Twitter Machine right now seem to indicate that next year's salary cap will come in around $120.6 million, which is essentially the same as last year. It appeared for a while the delay in setting the salary cap was so the NFLPA and owners could work to increase this year's cap, but it seems they weren't able to do so. If this is the case, much like Mark Kaboly, I fear that we may see another victim to the cap before the league year starts Tuesday at 4 PM. Any thoughts who it might be?

Being that I have nothing more exciting to do with my life than sit around, catch up on episodes of House and read nfl.com articles such as this one I've been thinking a lot about the possibility of losing Mike Wallace. In case you haven't heard, the Steelers are just a little tight on cap space and Wallace is a RFA commanding a first round tender.

The situation isn't pretty to say the least. In the last two season, the third round draft pick from Ole Miss has emerged as an elite WR in the NFL. He is arguably the most lethal deep threat in the NFL, commands additional attention from defenses, and has a huge role in the Steelers offense. The fact Wallace was lining up on the opposite side of Antonio Brown when he broke out this season is not coincidence.

There are probably 15 teams around the AFC that I'm sure would prefer if Mike Wallace were not on the Steelers roster. Cincinnati being in need of a WR to pair with AJ Green and having to play the Steelers twice a year would probably prefer he were not a Steeler. The New England Patriots and their much maligned secondary probably feel the same way.

Given all this information, is it necessarily the worst case scenario if Mike Wallace were to sign elsewhere as a free agent? Yes, the affect on the offense, and a receiving corp that could already use some depth, would be very negative. Starting Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown at WR sounds nice in theory, but that's assuming that Brown is someone who can be productive when he's the focus of a defense, and given last season's issues, that Emmanuel Sanders can stay healthy. Not to mention that makes our 3rd WR... Hines Ward? If they bring him back. Maybe Jericho Cotchery? If they bring him back. Maybe... well, you get the idea.

However, taking all this into account, could worse things happen than Mike Wallace leaving the team? Let's face the facts. The defense isn't getting any younger, and our offensive line, outside of Pouncey and Gilbert, isn't exactly set for next year. The Steelers, in the next three years, will need a starter at NT, ILB, probably OLB (James Harrison isn't getting younger), OG and OT. Depth at CB and S is a concern, and even if Wallace returns, the WR position could use more depth too. That's a lot of needs.

My point with all this is that the Steelers have a lot of needs, and they're typically pretty damn good at filling them through the draft. If Mike Wallace were to leave, the Steelers would land a 1st round pick that would allow them to fill one of those needs. If it's NE, maybe a guy like Vontaze Burfict comes in and sits behind Farrior. Or if it's Cincinnati, maybe that puts them into position to get a G like Cordy Glenn or even David DeCastro. If they're able to fill needs with those two picks, maybe they can move up in the 2nd round to get a WR such as an Alshon Jeffery, Kendall Wright or Michael Floyd if one of them falls (although PaVaSteeler makes a compelling argument against it).

Do I want to lose Mike Wallace? Of course not, he's the best deep threat in the NFL, has good chemistry with Big Ben and he makes our offense better. But I am truly intrigued by having 2 first round draft picks without having to trade out of another position.

I know there is already a thread specifically for the winter meetings, but with the options seeming to fly everywhere, I figured this might not be a bad idea. I've heard numerous rumors floating around about first base options, so I figured this might be a decent place to discuss them, and what some trade values might be. The word on the street is that Ike Davis is being shopped by the Mets. While I like Ike, my personal take is that we've already got enough strikeouts from a future first baseman (Vote for Pedro!). Ike struck out in over 26% of his AB in 2010, and missed a massive chunk of 2011 with an ankle injury. I have no clue where to even begin the trade discussion to acquire him. For what it's worth, a Mets official denies that the reports aren't true, but I'm not sure how much I believe that.

Of course, there's also the Gaby Sanchez rumors as well. Assuming Pujols signs with the Marlins (although that's not necessary a fair assumption. Seriously, how much can they spend?), I found assume that makes Sanchez available. I would think a package of Grossman (with the obligatory, how do the Marlins feel about him, note), Locke and maybe a Mercer (I'd be hesitant to part with him though) might get this one done.

Any others?

This via the Bucs Insider Twitter machine. 

#Pirates add Matt Hague, Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Rudy Owens, Duke Welker & Justin Wilson to 40-man roster; DFA Eric Fryer, Xavier Paul

For me, these additions seem pretty no brainer. Except for the Duke Welker move. It likely came at the expense of Eric Fryer, who I really would have liked to have around in case the whole Rod Barajas thing didn't work out. It could imply however that Tony Sanchez will start in AAA. Purely speculation on my part though. Why else DFA Fryer? At this point, the 40 man roster is full. 

The Pens have moved center Mark Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4th round pick in the 2012 draft. Personally, I didn't think they would get a fourth rounder out of Test Tube, so I'm pleased. It's unfortunate Mark couldn't find a slot here, but that tends to happen when you are playing with a team that has such depth at a single position. Wish him well going forward. 

However, the question on everyone's mind is this: Does this mean Sid is coming back soon?

Well, there's bad news, then there is this. Wow this stinks. Based on personal experience with a torn labrum, I am shocked that he was even able to throw a baseball, let alone 28 pitches just a few nights ago in the Arizona series. Either way, it doesn't appear (right now) that Meek will require surgery, as the tear is "only" a quarter inch. As far as shoulder injuries go, labrums are pretty much worst case scenario. But I suppose as labrum tears go, this is decent news. We may see Meek moved to the 60-day DL, which might mean a 40-man roster spot for Eric Fryer.

The Pirates lead the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 through 4 and a half innings. From my perspective, Charlie Morton hasn't been as sharp as usual, but he continues to battle. Highlights thus far: Brandon Wood (!) has a home run that looked like a lazy flyball that just kept carrying, Lyle Overbay has a triple (seriously), though that is primarily thanks to Raul Ibanez. Jimmy Rollins is out for the game with a bruised knee. Did I miss anything? Am I at 75 words yet?

Bad news has come on the injury front via the Twitter, specifically thanks to Rob Biertempfel. He reports on his twitter page that Ryan Doumit has a fractured ankle, and will be out at least a month (DK provides more details, saying its a non-displaced fracture with no ligament damage). Even worse, Steve Pearce, who we originally thought was going to be out only a few days, is now reported to have a partially torn calf muscle, with no timetable for his return. For Doumit, this timing is terrible because it basically kills his current trade value, unless he can come back in July and mash for a month leading up to the deadline. The news maybe far worse for Steve Pearce though. Pearce had been finally heating up recently, and if Josh Harrison hits in the Show like he did in Indianapolis, it may have been Pearce's last opportunity to stick with the Pirates. Certainly a tough break for him as well as the team. Hopefully both these guys will be healed up as soon as possible.

UPDATE: As if we needed more bad news (although some will debate the impact of this tidbit): In addition to confirming the above reports, the Bucs Insider Twitter is reporting that been diagnosed with medial epicondylitis in his elbow. Being that I had no clue what that meant, I took the liberty of consulting the Google machine and came up with a reasonable explanation (I think). It is commonly referred to as golf elbow and is similar to tennis elbow with the difference being it occurs on the inside of the elbow, as opposed to the outside. Mayo Clinic's website explains the pain can spread to the forearm and wrist, which may explain his earlier season forearm issues, and is treated with rest.

One player that has intrigued me throughout the off-season (or at least since his acquisition) is Josh Rodriguez, but I think my intrigue stems primarily from curiosity. I have been scouring the internet (including but not limited to Baseball Reference, Baseball America and Google) in recent days to find anything I can on the guy, and a lot of what I'm finding is "The Pirates took Josh Rodriguez with the first overall selection in the Rule V draft..." or extremely out dated information. So my question to y'all is where can I find a relevant, current scouting report on Josh Rodriguez? And is he someone who could potentially push Neil Walker to third, and subsequently Pedro to first? Or is he a utility player with some pop in his bat?

A couple of minor transactions on a day dominated by other sports news.

The Pirates have signed Garrett Atkins to a Minor League deal with a Spring Training invitation. Hey, why not? Yeah, the Indianapolis infield looks a bit crowded at this point, but this is a no-risk move.

They have also claimed LHP Aaron Thompson off waivers from Washington and designate Wil Ledezma for assignment. 

EDIT: Of course, as soon as I post this, Jenifer Langosch is now reporting on her Twitter page that the Pirates have acquired IF Corey Wimberly from the A's, although no word on who is going to Oakland. Interestingly enough, Wimberly was the one who broke the story on his Twitter. 

UPDATE by Charlie: Atkins apparently peaked at age 26 and has fallen off a cliff since then, but as minor-league signing, this is a good one - he's only a few years removed from posting a .965 OPS in Colorado, so there's no harm in making sure he can't get that back. Thompson is a former first-round pick, but his minor-league stats are unimpressive; maybe there's some upside in just moving him to the bullpen, but dumping Ledezma for him is disappointing, because I really think Ledezma can be a good big-league reliever right now.

Seriously, I don't understand the Pirates' ambivalence about Ledezma. I know he hasn't had the best career, but he struck out nearly 12 batters per nine innings at AAA last year and ten in the majors, all while adding velocity. There are no guarantees, obviously - maybe he flames out completely - but he looks to me like the very archetype of the reliever who figures things out late in his career.

Wimberly is a career minor-leaguer of no real distinction, so if the Pirates are trading for him, it's probably just one organizational guy for another. Wimberly seems really psyched to be a Pirate, though, so I'll be rooting for him.

UPDATE by Charlie (again): Class A reliever Ryan Kelly heads to the A's in the Wimberly trade. Kelly has posted some impressive peripherals, but has been moved through the minors very slowly. He's the sort of under-appreciated player with sexy stats that the A's love, but I'm not sure I've ever heard him described as an actual prospect - he went completely under the radar even on a relatively uninteresting West Virginia team. I'm not sure I would have traded him for Wimberly, but this is the kind of transaction that the Pirates' scouts would know more about than I would, and I don't think it matters much either way.

Disclaimer: I have no inside information, have heard nothing any of y'all do not have access to (except ESPN Insider if you do not subscribe) and this is purely my own speculation.

Good, now that we got that out of the way, is it possible that the Pirates could have a potential trade partner in the Minnesota Twins for Paul Maholm? I realize that if the Twins were interested in Paul, they likely would have asked for him in the JJ Hardy discussion, but things may have been a little different then. Look at it this way: When Cliff Lee was still on the market, the suitors for Carl Pavano were, well, limited. With the only ace available this off-season no longer on the market, the suitors for Pavano have increased. Multiple reports have cited the Rangers, Nationals, and Brewers, in addition to the Twins, as interested in Pavano. If the Twins were to lose out on Pavano, is it possible they would move to acquire Maholm?