The Pittsburgh Pirates set their 40-man roster on Friday, adding just four prospects to the list, and leaving Clay Holmes and Barrett Barnes as two of the unprotected prospects. They also left two roster spots open, which raised questions about why they didn't protect Holmes and Barnes, and what their plans are for those spots.
One thing we do know is that the open spots have nothing to do with the upcoming Rule 5 draft and the Pirates' plans on taking a player. They might take a player in the draft and they might not. Last year they didn't take a player, but they've taken plenty of guys in previous years.