Pirates owner to be dissatisfied for a very long time - MLB

Pirates owner Bob Nutting showed up in Bradenton today and spoke with the media after addressing players and staff prior to workouts.

And what, pray tell, did he talk to his players about?

“It’s critically important that they understand, and we all understand, that 2011 is not going to be a year where small bits of incremental progress are adequate,” Nutting said. “I reminded them that the goal of the organization has been, since the day I got started, to build an organization that can compete and win a championship. Until we can win a National League championship, we’re not going to be satisfied with incremental progress.”

And why should they be? After all, they added Lyle Overbay, Kevin Correia and Scott Olsen to a team that won 57 games in 2010. This is pretty clearly their year.

LOS ANGELES — Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle appear set to rejoin the New York Yankees ahead of their series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New York cleared three roster spots, saying that infielder-outfielders Oswaldo Cabrera and Franchy Cordero had been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre along with left-hander Matt Krook after a 1-0 loss at Seattle.

Stanton, Donaldson and Kahnle all played in a rehab game for Double-A Somerset. Stanton was hitless in three at-bats in his first appearance since injuring his left hamstring on April 15.

Donaldson went 1 for 4 in his fourth rehab game as he comes back from a strained right hamstring originally sustained on April 5.

Kahnle pitched one inning, giving up one run and one hit and walking two. He has been out since spring training with right biceps tendinitis.

Boone said he wasn’t concerned about Stanton potentially returning after playing in just one rehab game. He did say that Stanton likely will be a designated hitter for a couple of weeks after rejoining the Yankees.