The Pirates have traded infielder Josh Fields to the Rockies in exchange for a player to be named and cash. Fields hit .306 with an OPS of .810 in 49 at-bats with Kansas City last season.

The Pirates are giving Charlie Morton a chance to make their starting rotation. Morton, 27, was one of the game's worst pitchers statistically last season. He went 2-12 with a 7.57 ERA. "I feel like I'm pitching well enough this spring to be in the rotation, but it's not my call," Morton said. "I know I can pitch in the majors. I've done it before." Pittsburgh pitching coach Ray Searage isn't concerned with what happened last year. "What happened with Charlie last year is last year," he said. "What we're trying to do is move forward. When you start looking back, it catches up with you."

Trade talks involving Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit have slowed down, according to general manager Neal Huntington. "Conversations continue to go on on all fronts," Huntington said. "The first three or four weeks of spring training, it typically dies down. There's really no conversations going on because everybody's focused on their own clubs."