While Pirates fans' heads are still spinning after the flurry of trades last week — this season, actually — let's step back and take a deep breath.

OK, the latest deconstruction of the Pirates is upsetting. I can understand that. As a Pirates fan, I haven't seen the team break .500 in 17 years either, but I'm trying to be a realist.

The collection of players the team had this year wasn't built for winning. A shot at .500 was an outside possibility, but this team isn't built for winning streaks.

A modest streak — five wins out of eight games — often is met by a seven-game losing streak and expectations are dashed — again.

The new regime of president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neil Huntington has to take 15 years of previous losing and all of a sudden are asked to reverse it quickly.

That wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

The biggest reason is a small-market franchise like Pittsburgh needs to rely on its minor-league system. Talent has to be promoted on a consistent basis. The Pirates cannot afford multimillion dollar deals left and right. Can you see a power-hitting outfielder here signing an eight-year, $120-million contact? That will never happen.

The Pirates need to replace talented players with young, hungry, strong players who just need a chance. A mix of the two would be ideal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Let's face it. The Pirates' minor-league system is in shambles. Coonelly and Huntington walked into a situation well behind the 8-ball. How do you reverse that? By doing what Coonelly and Huntington have done.

Massive turnover.

Sure, they could have kept All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth and his three-year, $15 million salary, but by the time the Pirates became relevant, that contract would be up and he would be looking for really big money. Players like as outfielders Nyjer Morgan weren't the future, and infielders Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson were being paid a pretty premier penny for production that didn't match the price tag.

All the trades have helped the Pirates stock a bare minor-league cupboard very quickly. The increased talent should now trickle up to the parent club faster.

Isn't that what we all want?

Also, Huntington and Coonelly decided that if they wanted to draft quality first-round players, they'd have to pay them. That included last year's first-round star, Pedro Alvarez, who was a Scott Boras client, someone the team steered clear of in the past. They also picked Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez, a defensive gem with some pop, in June.

Will it take a couple more years? Yes, but credit Coonelly and Huntington for taking an aggressive approach to turning things around. They weren't here for the previous regimes. They should not be held accountable for that.

I expect rock bottom to hit over the next two months. I don't expect the team to spend a lot in the offseason with the money they saved, but the Pirates' only chance to succeed in this business is through the minor leagues.

So, relax, and know that it will get better. Just don't expect it to be tomorrow.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.