BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates solidified their Opening Day roster on Friday morning by officially handing over the final bullpen vacancy to reliever Jesse Chavez.

In doing so, the team optioned reliever Evan Meek to Triple-A and placed left-hander Phil Dumatrait on the 15-day disabled list, as expected, retroactive to March 27.

Exactly seven weeks from the date that pitchers and catchers reported to Bradenton, Fla., the Pirates now have a 25-man roster that has 13 different players on it from a year ago. And despite all the build-up about the level of depth and competition among pitchers this spring, the question marks about the team's Major League pitching staff loom large in advance of Opening Day.

The addition of Chavez on Friday completed a seven-pitcher bullpen that has a significant level of uncertainty and potential instability looming. It wasn't until this week that the Pirates filled those final four bullpen spots. Those decisions were late because of a lack of results despite myriad competitors. And that is reason for concern.

The decision to go with Chavez over Meek was based not on results, but on Meek's inability to take the mound during these past two weeks. A tired shoulder knocked him out a week, and when he was cleared to return, Meek fell ill with the stomach flu and then bronchitis.

"Evan threw the ball very well," general manager Neal Huntington said. "That was tough to walk away from, given especially how things have gone this spring."

Chavez has struggled through mechanical adjustments all spring and had an 11.45 ERA after another rough outing on Thursday. In contrast, Meek made nine scoreless appearances and allowed just four runs in 10 1/3 innings.

But Meek's extended absence kept him from pitching multiple innings or on consecutive days this spring, something the Pirates would like him to accomplish before considering him for a midseason callup.

"I feel like I'm ready now," Meek said. "Ever since I was sent down last year, I've been pitching like I have been this year -- Double-A, Triple-A, [winter ball in] Mexico, here. In my opinion, I was one of the best guys early this spring. I guess that doesn't matter. Bottom line is it's been two weeks and they want me to build it back up."

Chavez's inability to get hitters out consistently this spring, though, isn't the bullpen's only concern.

"Unfortunately, we had nine guys compete for bullpen spots and we really didn't have guys step up and put strangleholds on jobs," Huntington said. "So we've gone with what we feel is the best four to finish out the bullpen. The last decision to be made, is it going to stay that way? The players will show us."

Among those concerns:

Will relievers Donnie Veal and Craig Hansen be able to find their control and limit their walks? The two walked a combined 25 batters in 28 1/3 spring innings.

Will Sean Burnett be able to get right-handed hitters out, a necessity since the Pirates cannot afford to use him as a left-handed specialist? Right-handed hitters batted .328 against him in 2008.

And will the Pirates regret not carrying a defined long reliever? The decision not to carry one was two-fold. One, the Pirates are hopeful that their starters can pitch deeper into games, eliminating the need for someone to toss multiple innings in relief. And two, the club wanted to see Virgil Vasquez and Jason Davis -- the two long relief candidates -- continue their work as Triple-A starters.

The bullpen has arguably the most question marks of all, though the starting rotation has much to prove, too. Paul Maholm leads the staff after a breakout 2008 and a dominant spring. Ian Snell and Zach Duke, who combined for just 12 wins in disappointing '08 seasons, are going to need to be strong rotation presences.

Ross Ohlendorf won the No. 4 spot after a solid spring, though he has not yet had success at the big league level. And when no one stepped up to impress in the competition for the last rotation vacancy, it was given to Jeff Karstens, who finished a subpar spring with a 6.17 ERA.

As for the 13 position players heading north, the Pirates named their eight starters before Spring Training and each held on to their jobs. That includes Nyjer Morgan, who went through a dry spell through much of March, but has discovered his swing here as of late.

"He made a nice push late to start getting on track, and he's starting to do some things that we envisioned him doing," manager John Russell said. "It looks like he's starting to get into a little bit of a groove and starting to get a little more comfortable at the plate."

Morgan, Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche are all going to be eyed closely early, as each is beginning his first year as an everyday player. And don't assume that those jobs are permanent, as general manager Neal Huntington has emphasized that those jobs must continue to be won.

The Pirates constructed their bench creatively, based heavily on targeted need and defense. Eric Hinske and Ramon Vazquez, the only two free agents to sign with the team this offseason, will provide experience and the ability to slide into an everyday role should that need arise.

Craig Monroe won a job as an additional outfielder, largely because he was the right-handed-hitting option the Pirates desperately needed. He also got the job because of a solid spring, in which he led the team with seven homers and 15 RBIs heading into Friday's game.

Catcher Jason Jaramillo won the backup job because of his solid track record in working with pitchers and his defensive ability. The Pirates chose Luis Cruz to be their fifth bench player because of his versatility and strength defensively. His offensive ability, though, remains a question mark.

The fact that the Pirates also wanted a number of their organizational prospects -- i.e. Andrew McCutchen, Brian Bixler and Steve Pearce -- to get everyday at-bats also played a significant role in the final position player decisions.