Manager John Russell indicated that right-hander Kevin Hart is the front-runner to be the Pirates' fifth starter.

"There's competition and he knows it," said Russell. "He's going to do everything he can to make sure he makes a good impression and shows he's ready for it. We've got some other very good candidates, but he's working awfully hard. Time will tell, but he's in a good position right now." Hart was 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in eight games (four starts) with the Cubs last season, but was just 1-8 with a 6.92 ERA after being traded to Pittsburgh. We'd much prefer the underdog Daniel McCutchen, but neither are much of a fantasy option in NL-only leagues.
Seems about right. I don't see Hart having a future as a starter, but with the season pretty much lost already, it's worth a shot to try. I'm not huge D. McCutchen fan either, so it really doesn't matter to me. I do, however, wish we had more happening this spring. Stability is nice, but it's not going to get me back into baseball, with the awfully boring Pirates offseason.