Mid-day short takes . . .

* It has been said often that a baseball team can’t have enough pitching. There will be no quibbling with that theory here.

But Jose Contreras? At age 41? Coming off two surgeries in the past year? I simply do not get it. Is this an indication of the unhappiness general manager Neal Huntington has with his bullpen?

There’s little to be lost by signing Contreras, who pitched well out of the bullpen as recently as 2011. But he had Tommy John surgery in June and elbow surgery in September.  Given the normal recuperative time for the TJ surgery, what exactly does Contreras bring to the team?

General manager Neal Huntington said, ``The reports we have on the man indicate he could be a strong influence on the clubhouse while he’s here.’’

Contreras does not speak English. The Pirates do not have a heavy contingent of Latin players. Contreras probably won’t be with the team when the season begins. Those factors would limit his ability to be a strong influence.

A strange signing, but, yes, nothing to lose.

* * *

A terrific performance Sunday by Pitt guard Tray Woodall, who scored 25 points against St. John’s in an important Pitt win.

But this performance accentuates what is lacking in the Panthers. Woodall is a 5-11 point guard who can get his own shot, but not easily. St. John’s is a team that does not heavily focus on defense.

Pitt still lacks to go-to performer that is so vital in the NCAA tournament. Lamar Patterson has some offensive upside but he seems to have bought too thoroughly into Jamie Dixon’s team-first philosophy. Patterson is almost too unselfish.

Reserves J.J. Moore and Trey Ziegler have nice offensive games but neither, particularly Ziegler, have shown enough consistency to be the guy off the bench who can spark a team.