• The Beaver County Times reports this morning that the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with the Cleveland Indians, are a finalist for free agent pitcher Matt Clement.  Clement, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, has narrowed his choice down to these two teams so that he can stay close to his new house in Butler, PA.   Undoubtedly, Clement purchased that home with the funds received from fleecing the Red Sox into a 3 year, $29M deal after the 2004 season.
• The Times also confirms that the Pirates were one of the twelve teams that watched former Buc Kris Benson throw for teams on December 17th.  Other teams known to have watched Benson include the Rockies, Phillies, Royals, Yankees, and Dodgers.  Like Clement, Benson also missed 2007 with shoulder problems.
• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates are also talking to free-agent starter Runelvys Hernandez about returning to Pittsburgh.  Hernandez, 29, made four starts for Pittsburgh’s Class AAA team (Indianapolis) last season after being released by Boston.  In four seasons at the big league level for Kansas City, Hernandez is 25-33 with a 5.38 ERA.

Filed under: Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates