Pirates rumors: Joel Hanrahan on the trading block?

The Pittsburgh Pirates may put closer Joel Hanrahan on the trading block next week if the club is unable to find a catcher on the open market, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Joel Hanrahan… might be on the trading block next week at winter meetings if Pirates need to go to extremes to come up with starting catcher.

The Pirates are reportedly in hot pursuit of free-agent catcher Russell Martin, but the veteran is looking for a four-year deal so may end up being too expensive for Pittsburgh to bring aboard. Biertempfel writes that the club is interested in Martin, but that $25 million would be too much.

If the club fails to come to an agreement with Martin, it could bode ill for the –year-old Hanrahan’s future in the steel city. The right-hander has been lights-out for the Pirates since taking over as closer two seasons ago, putting up a 2.24 ERA and a 9.0 K/9 rate in 133 appearances, racking up 76 saves.