Indians May Look At Pavano As Backup Plan

If Jake Westbrook isn't fully recovered from Tommy John surgery in time to start the 2010 season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer proposes that the Tribe might turn to a familiar face — free-agent starter Carl Pavano.

The Indians want at least one veteran to anchor their young starting rotation, and if Westbrook comes out of his Puerto Rican winter league starts at less than 100 percent, that will leave the combustible Fausto Carmona as Cleveland's default ace.  By signing Pavano, the Tribe would be bringing back an experienced arm who had a 3.83::1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 starts in Cleveland last season before he was traded to Minnesota on August 7.

Hoynes noted that Pavano made $4.35MM after reaching several incentive clauses in the one-year contract he signed with the Indians last winter, and will be looking for at least that total in guaranteed money for next season.  This might make Pavano too expensive for the Tribe, though his agent Tom O'Connell told Hoynes that Pavano would talk to the Twins and Indians first, as Cleveland was the team who gave Pavano a shot after his disastrous, injury-plagued stint in New York.

What do you think, Tribe fans?  If Westbrook can't go, do you think it would be a good move to bring Pavano back into the fold?