PITTSBURGH -- According to his agent, Dan Horwits, right-hander Shawn Chacon is in the process of declaring free agency Tuesday, which would make him the second Pirates player to do so. Tony Armas Jr. already declared on Monday, along with 56 other Major Leaguers.

The Pirates will have exclusive negotiating rights with Chacon until Nov. 12, and according to Horwits, Chacon continues to express a desire to return to Pittsburgh for the 2008 season.

"The Pirates know that he would like to come back to Pittsburgh," Horwits said. "They know that Pittsburgh is still his first choice."

As early as July, Chacon publicly spoke about his wishes to sign a long-term contract with the Pirates before season's end. As a result, Horwits and then-general manager Dave Littlefield had a few discussions over the summer to gauge the club's interest in re-signing the right-hander, though none of those discussions ever blossomed into any sort of negotiating.

"I don't think it ever got to the point where it was in a lot of detail," Chacon said just prior to the end of the season. "I don't think it ever got to the point where they were serious about it. We just kind of felt out where they would compare me and where they thought I would fit in next year."

Since Littlefield's dismissal and the subsequent hire of Neal Huntington as the team's new GM, Horwits said that he has not heard from the Pirates front office.

"We have not had any discussions since the new regime took over," Horwits said. "That's not to say that we won't, but I don't know at this time."

If the Pirates are hesitant to offer Chacon a contract, it is likely due to financial constraints. After being dealt from the Yankees to the Pirates at the non-waiver trading deadline in 2006, Chacon earned $3.825 million last season.

This offseason marks the first time that Chacon has enough service time to avoid arbitration and enter free agency, and for the Pirates, the cost of keeping the veteran around is likely too steep.

During the 2007 season, Chacon proved to be an extremely valuable asset to the pitching staff, wearing the hat of starter, set-up man, and for one game, closer, at different points during the season. He finished the season 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA, though he spent the final week of the season sidelined with right elbow stiffness.

While packing up his belongings following the final game of the season, Chacon stood in the clubhouse, again reiterating his wishes to return to Pittsburgh for another season. However, he admitted to having doubts that any deal would be offered before he tested the free agency waters because of the organization's current period of transition.

"I decided a long time ago that I would like to be back," Chacon said. "But that's out of my hands."