NEW YORK -- If the Pirates have it their way, Matt Morris' 1 2/3-inning performance last Saturday will not be his last moment with the organization.

No, there is no thought of ever sending him back to the pitcher's mound. However, the Pirates would like to welcome Morris back in some other capacity, preferably in some sort of instructional role.

"We'd like nothing more than if Morris would like to continue his career in baseball with this organization in some sort of role," general manager Neal Huntington said. "The preliminary groundwork has been laid and the ideas have been formulated. We've expressed our interest to him already."

Morris obviously has a lot of other decisions to weigh before deciding if an offer from the Pirates, or another Major League team, for that matter, is something of interest to him. The 33-year-old right-hander has not yet officially retired, though his last comments after being released by the Pirates on Sunday suggested that he may be looking to do so soon.

He has returned to his home in Jupiter, Fla., to be with his wife and two children in the meantime.

With Morris now putting baseball on the backburner to family obligations, it's unlikely that he'd want to step into a coaching role, where he would again be on the road traveling all the time. As a result, Huntington said that the Pirates have left open the possibility for Morris to join the organization more in a baseball operations role.

This would involve doing work like that of a roving instructor in the Minors, helping out in Spring Training and working with pitchers in the Instructional League. It wouldn't involve the same grind as an everyday coach, but it would be work that would be instrumental in helping foster the development of the organization's young pitchers.

Huntington added that the club is already looking to put one or two more people into those types of roles.

Though the Pirates are currently targeting Morris specifically for this type of role, manager John Russell said that, after spending just a few months working with him, he can see the two-time All-Star wearing even more baseball hats down the road.

"Whether it's coaching or whether it's [in the] front office, he would be outstanding," Russell said. "At some point in his life, I think Matt Morris would be an outstanding general manager. He has that knowledge. He has that passion. I see him being able to help in a lot of areas and to be an influence in baseball."