I’ve never been a fan of Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington.

Last year’s free-agent class, which included Nate McLouth, Erik Bedard, Clint Barmes and Rod Barajas, didn’t change my mind.

I know it’s still early, but the Pirates haven’t made any significant offseason signings.

And that’s a good thing.

The highlight so far, if you want to call it that, has been the signing of Felix Pie to a minor league contract.

That’s it.

By this time last year, the Pirates had already given us Barajas (one year, $4 million) and Barmes (two years, $10.5 million), and weren’t too far away from giving fans Bedard (one year, $4.5 million) and McLouth (one year, $1.75 million).

All terrible signings.

So while the Toronto Blue Jays are turning themselves into a contender by plundering the Miami Marlins, the Pirates are being frugal — like always.

Of course, when they do decide to spend, it’s usually too much on the wrong player.

It’s like Huntington is shopping for a Black Friday deal and is surprised to find out the $29 Blue-Ray player he found constantly skips.

To this point, I’m thankful we haven’t been treated to any more turkeys from Huntington.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for him to revert to form.

– Rick Green (follow me on Twitter @ETNrgreen)

It’s the season of lists, and my list wouldn’t be complete without the top 12 players I’m interested in watching in 2012.

Be warned, this isn’t a list of the top 12 players overall or the top 12 players expected to break out. This is my list of players I’m interested in.

12. Pedro Alvarez, Pirates: Will he live up to expectations or will he continue to slump? It’s a make-or-break year for the Bucs’ third baseman. A good season would help the Pirates close in on a .500 or even a winning record.

11. Yu Darvish, Rangers: I’m always interested in seeing how the Japanese players adjust to life in America. Ichiro Suzuki excelled with the Mariners while Hideki Irabu struggled. I think Darvish will be fine.

10. Carlos Santana, Indians: The Tribe’s catcher mashed 27 home runs last season. Will he hit for a better average (.239)? Will he increase his power numbers? There are better things ahead.

9. Albert Pujols, Angels: Will he live up to the hype? The pressure won’t be as great in L.A. as it would be in New York, but he’ll get a dose of it anyway. How will he adjust to pitching in the AL?

8. Justin Verlander, Tigers: What can you do for an encore? How about win a World Series MVP? He’s tossed no-hitters, won an AL MVP and Cy Young Award. That’s about the only thing  left.

7. Erik Bedard, Pirates: Yes, a second Bucco appears on my list. I guess that happens when you’re a Pirates fan. I’d like to see if Bedard can pitch more than 15o innings. If he can, and if he has his stuff, then it’s really good news for Pittsburgh.

6. Ryan Braun, Brewers: What will happen with the rumors about the failed PED test? Will he back up his MVP numbers without Prince Fielder?

5. Jason Heyward, Braves: The J-Hey kid has been on my radar for two seasons. He oozes talent and could really bust out this season.

4. Adam Dunn, White Sox: He had an abysmal season, hitting .159 with 11 home runs. And you can’t use the small sample size excuse since he had 415 at-bats. He’s done if he puts up similar numbers. He should have hit his usual 40 homers in hitter-friendly Chicago. He just has to rebound, but I’m not sure I’d draft him in mixed leagues.

3. Bryce Harper, Nationals: Unlimited potential that’s only exceeded by unlimited hype. The Nationals have something good going on, and Harper will be a part of it. I’ve got to see what he does this season.

2. Carlos Beltran, Cardinals: He won’t replace Albert Pujols, but many will expect him to. Ever since his explosion in the playoffs, there’s been high expectations of him and he seems to fall short. In fact, you almost could call him overrated.

1. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: What will 2012 bring for him? Will Washington monitor his pitch-counts and innings pitched? Will he have Cy Young stuff? Gotta tune in.

– Rick Green

Before Albert Pujols grabbed all the headlines, the Pittsburgh Pirates made some noise of their own.

The Bucs tested the free-agent waters by signing starting pitcher Erik Bedard and outfielder Nate McLouth to one-year deals.

The McLouth deal seemed to be a positive one, with the Pirates getting a popular player back on the team. McLouth was traded by the organization in 2009 in a deal that was heavily criticized.

McLouth was happy, too, returning to Pittsburgh. “It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life,” he said.

Getting $1.75 million to be a fourth or fifth outfielder isn’t a bad deal, either, if your McLouth.

While McLouth adds depth, that’s some coin to be handing out to a reserve outfielder who hit .190 in 2010 and .228 in 2011.

Bedard, on the other hand, could work out nicely for the Bucs.

With Paul Maholm gone, the Pirates desperately needed a left-handed starter. They got one in Bedard, who will earn $4.5 million.

The signing, however, doesn’t come without risk.

First, you have to think that there must not have been much interest in Bedard since the Pirates signed him. And there could be a good reason why — injuries.

Yes, he has the stuff to be an ace, but Bedard also is a risk.

He had 129.1 innings pitched last season in stops between Seattle and Boston. Before that, he had 83 innings (2009) and 81 innings (2008). Bedard missed the entire 2010 season with an arm injury.

It’s only a one-year commitment, so the Pirates won’t lose a lot if Bedard doesn’t pan out. If he does, Pittsburgh has an ace it hasn’t had in a while.

So it wasn’t the Pujols-C.J. Wilson double-double that the L.A. Angels pulled off, but going 1-for-2 isn’t bad by Pirates’ standards.

– Rick Green