It will take a big man to carry the Pirates offense next season, but not quite as big as Pedro Alvarez happens to be at the moment, apparently. Alvarez has put on a few pounds this off-season, and more than one team official isn’t thrilled about it. At last report, the third baseman had ballooned in excess of 240 pounds, at least 15 pounds more than he finished last season.
He’s young and he’ll lose it if he tries so this is no big whoop. And of course, he’s destined for first base anyway. But really, dude. This is not what any Pirates fans wanted to hear in late January.
UPDATE: Some readers are telling me that the source of this report -- Piratesreport.com -- is not reliable. I’m not familiar with them, so I really don’t know. Probably worth taking this with a grain of salt, though. Presumably MLB.com or the Post-Gazette or someone will follow up on this soon and we’ll know for sure.
(link via Big League Stew)