PITTSBURGH— No professional sports franchise has endured 17 consecutive losing seasons.

The Pittsburgh Pirates could be the first.

Though it's a dubious achievement, it's one the franchise might accept in exchange for a successful future.

"There's not a lot of talent down (in the minor leagues)right now," roving minor league instructor Rich Donnelly admitted. "We have to replenish, restock. There is no other way."

Donnelly would know. He was third-base coach for the Pirates in 1992, the last time the franchise reached postseason play or had a winning season.

He said the trades of productive outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady for younger talent were merely signs of things to come.

The Pirates are 14-36 since Bay was shipped to Boston on July 31.

"Oh, there will be more deals, more personnel shuffling throughout the system,"Donnelly said. "You keep getting two for one, three for one — that's how you build numbers and create competition."

The winning Pirates teams of the early 1990s were built that way, as well as through the farm system. Sid Bream and Cecil Espy were acquired for Bill Madlock. Doug Drabek was acquired as one of three prospects from the New York Yankees for Rick Rhoden.

Andy Van Slyke, Mike LaValliere and Mike Dunne came from St. Louis for catcher Tony Pena.

None of those trades was popular at the time. But the Pirates don't win three successive division titles without them.

Hard-throwing right-handed relief pitcher Craig Hansen, 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, was part of the package of players the Pirates acquired for Bay. They received 21-year-old pitcher Bryan Morris, the Dodgers' first-round draft choice in 2006, in the same deal.

"If he harnesses what he throws, his stuff is electric,"Pirates manager John Russell said of Hansen. "You're talking about an upper-90s fastball and a slider that falls off a table."

Hansen is 25. Other prospects in Class AAA most of the year — outfielder Nyjer Morgan, shortstop Brian Bixler and outfielder Steve Pearce — are 25 or older.

At Class AA, first baseman Jason Delaney, left fielder Jonel Pacheco, second baseman Melvin Dorta and pitcher Juan Mateo are 26 or older.

"The key words with the new regime are accountability and entitlement,"Donnelly said. "A player is accountable for his own performance and nobody is entitled to anything.

"No one is going to have a position on this team because he's the only one there."

The Pirates sent starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny and catcher Ron Paulino to Class AAAduring this season because of a lack of performance.

The addition of pitchers Daniel McCutcheon, Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens in the Nady trade significantly adds to the competition in the Pirates' 2009 starting rotation.

Only Paul Maholm is assured of a spot in that rotation next year.

"That's how it should be,"Maholm said. "You should have to earn your keep at this level."

Center fielder Jose Tabata, only 20, who also came in the Nady deal, hit .272 with 18 stolen bases in 20 attempts at Class AAAltoona. Center fielder Andrew McCutcheon, who turns 22 in two weeks, hit .283 with nine homers and 34 stolen bases at Indianapolis while third baseman and Pine-Richland graduate Neil Walker, 23, hit 16 homers and had 80 RBIin Class AAA.

"If you look at that 1992 team, guys like Jose Lind, Jeff King, (Barry)Bonds — they came up through our system,"Donnelly said. "A lot of the other guys were acquired through trades involving our system.

"This year's team, (Ryan)Doumit and (Nate)McLouth are the only products of the farm system that are up here. Now you're seeing guys like Steve Pearce and Nyjer Morgan break though. There needs to be more."

Though a late bloomer at age 28, Morgan has a chance to play regularly with the Pirates next season.

"I love his aggressiveness, the way he gets on base and makes things happen,"Russell said. "And he gives you outstanding defense."

The Pirates' team ERA this season is 5.17, ranking last in the National League. The 1992 pitching staff had no one with an ERA higher than 4.60 and eight pitchers had an ERA of 3.84 or lower.

"We have a ways to go yet,"Donnelly said. "I've seen our minor league talent at every level this year. A lot of the kids we have in the instructional league are going to be big leaguers.

"We need more guys in front of them. That's the process that's going on right now."