PITTSBURGH — Pirates left-hander Mark Redman exercised his $4.5 million player option for 2006 Wednesday after the Pittsburgh declined its $4.95 million team option.

Redman went 5-15 with a 4.90 ERA during a season in which he was the Pirates' best starter for two months, allowing three runs or fewer in 13 of his first 14 starts. He was 1-10 in his final 17 starts.

Redman did not pitch after breaking his left index finger in a Sept. 12 start against St. Louis.

The 31-year-old was acquired by the Pirates — his fifth team in five seasons — from Oakland in the Jason Kendall trade last offseason. Redman is 53-66 with a 4.47 ERA in 169 major league games in a career that began with Minnesota in 1999. He was 14-9 with a 3.59 ERA in 2003 for the World Series champion Florida Marlins.

Pirates manager Jim Tracy said Wednesday that, as of now, he is planning on Redman being in his rotation next year.

Pitching coach Jim Colborn and bench coach Jim Lett are following Tracy, the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, to the Pirates.The hirings, announced Tuesday, had been expected since Tracy was hired as Pittsburgh's manager on Oct. 11.Colborn was the Dodgers' pitching coach for five seasons, and his staff ranked among the top four in the NL in ERA three of the last four seasons. Lett was Tracy's bench coach in Los Angeles last season after spending the previous four seasons as the bullpen coach.Tracy had a 427-383 record in five seasons and managed the Dodgers to the 2004 NL West title, but a roster overhaul orchestrated by general manager Paul DePodesta led to a 71-91 record this season. Tracy and the club then parted ways, and DePodesta was fired last weekend.