Carl Pavano has had his ups and downs his entire career as we all know.
He had his breakout season in 2003, collecting 12 wins with an acceptable ERA of 4.30. The very next year in 2004, he won 18 games with an ERA of 3.00.
His All-Star season earned him a 4-year, $40 million deal with the New York Yankees.
But we all know how that turned out, as he started only 26 games during the four years.
But after regaining his form with the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins in 2009, he returned to Minnesota this past season and won 17 games—earning him Twins’ Pitcher of the Year honors.
Now this offseason, he is looking for a new home.
Along with the Twins, he has drawn interests from teams including the Washington Nationals. Pavano is the best starting pitcher out there in the free-agent market, so he can earn some serious cash.
Although he had drawn interest from the Milwaukee Brewers just days ago, that possibility disappeared when they acquired ace Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals.
With Minnesota and Washington as the two main possible destinations left, the question remains—which team best suits Pavano’s services?
Washington is a not a bad place to go right now, as they have promising young talent along with veterans such as Rick Ankiel and Chein-Ming Wang. The Nats are a team that’s not a 100-loss team anymore, and might make a playoff run in five to ten years. The bad part is that Pavano is 35-years-old, so he probably wouldn’t stay.
Another reason why Pavano should not go to the Nationals is that they would have to overpay him (like they did with Jayson Werth), as Washington isn’t the most attractive place for the best pitcher left on the free-agent market.
If Washington does sign the right-hander, it looks like they might be onto something— perhaps a wild-card run in two years?
Minnesota better suits Pavano however, as they have something the Nats don’t. The Clubhouse.
Pavano has had no problems with the coaching staff, or with his teammates. Because he did pitch well, and rejoined the team before the 2010 season by accepting arbitration, it does hint Pavano like Minnesota.
This relates to Cliff Lee, who returned to Philadelphia largely due to the fact he loved it there.
And with Pavano being as good as he is right now with the Twins, why not return? The Twins are a playoff team, and no one wants to risk their career at a later age by underperforming for another team they have never pitched for.
The Minnesota Twins are the better option for Carl Pavano.
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