Pirates decline all four club options
Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com
The Pirates announced on Monday that they have declined to exercise 2012 club options on shortstop Ronny Cedeno, left-hander Paul Maholm and catchers Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder. As a result, all four players become free agents.
Teams had until the end of the day on Monday to make decisions regarding contractual options.
The Pirates had already indicated that they would not retain Doumit, Snyder and Maholm at the cost of their options. But it was believed that Cedeno’s $3 million option was being considered.
The Pirates do not have an obvious internal replacement for Cedeno at short, though Chase d’Arnaud might get a chance to step into an everyday role. The club is also likely to look outside the organization for other options and could even try to re-sign Cedeno at a lower cost.
General manager Neal Huntington has said that the club remains interested in negotiating a new deal with Doumit or Snyder. The catcher’s spot is a big question mark for the Pirates, whose other Major League options (Michael McKenry, Jason Jaramillo, Matt Pagnozzi) seem better suited for a backup role.
Snyder’s 2012 club option was worth $6.75 million, while Doumit’s would have cost the Pirates $15.5 million over a two-year period. Maholm held a $9.75 million option
Declining all four options will cost the Pirates $2.2 million, as each player had a buyout cost written into his contract.
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By Gosh, It's Langosch 
I suspect the Pirates will give Josh Harrison first crack at winning the starting shortstop job.