At the trade deadline, Neal Huntington made it relatively clear that 2011 will be another year for evaluation. If the Pirates are ever going to play competitive baseball, it likely won’t be until 2012. Here’s my take on an Opening Day lineup for next year.

Either I’m easily impressed, or you can still see a glimmer of what made Ronny Cedeno a former prospect. I’m not expecting him to become a star, but I do think Ronny can be a usable piece of the Pirates for more than a season or two. Jack Wilson, on the other hand, seems to be trending the other way.

These six scenarios will be fun to watch. They’re the ones where Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said to his colleagues: I’m better than you.

From the tweeting machine Joel Hanrahan to recently acquired closer Octavio Dotel, to grizzled veteran Brendan Donnelly and up-and-comer Evan Meek, the number of bullpen options the Pirates have in 2010 is greatly improved over 2009.