In case you haven't noticed -- and if you're a Pirates fan, maybe you haven't -- the July 2 signing period for international amateurs began today, and most of this year's best international talents flocked to new teams. The Pirates have, as yet, signed no one, or at least no one Baseball America has picked up on. There's still time to sign players, but most of the best ones are already gone.
The Pirates had the second-smallest pool available to any team, at a little over $2 million. That was one problem.