Matos rumor

Are you sitting down? This one, from Beaver County Times beat writer & Baseball America writer John Perrotto, is a real doozy:

The Pirates have talked to Baltimore about possibly trading for outfielder Luis Matos as insurance in case Chris Duffy, who hit .341 in 39 games as a rookie last season, isn't ready to be the everyday center fielder. Matos, 27, hit .280 with four homers, 32 RBIs and 17 steals in 121 games for the Orioles last season.

Seriously, I don't know what would be the price of Matos. I know two things, however. First, we need a lot of centerfielders with that big left field. Second, this is probably about Burnitz's ability to play center. If he's not a legitimate option out there for a few days, then we need a fifth outfielder. It would not be wise to use Nate McLouth as a fifth outfielder if the team hopes he might some day be used as a regular starter. It would probably be better for his development to play every day at AAA.

People say that all the time; I'm not sure it's true. I would probably rather be a bench player studying big-league pitchers and making notes for flash cards I would study in the hotel room. Others seem to think you need to keep hitting something every day if you are going to continue to improve as a hitter. My hunch is the Pirates would rather not carry McLouth, who they regard as a prospect, as a fifth outfielder.