Is Hinske About to Sign?

There are reports (c/o the Post-Gazette) that IF/OF Eric Hinske is in contract negotiations with the Pirates. Hinske played for Tampa last year and won the Rookie of the Year award with Toronto in 2002. He's versatile and has some power, so this could be an interesting acquisition, if it goes through. If Hinske signs, it would almost certainly mean that Luis Gonzalez and Doug Mientkiewicz are out of the picture. I'll keep you posted.