The Twins continue to work toward a deal with Carl Pavano and hope to know by next Monday or Tuesday if the right-hander will accept their offer, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter links). Christensen reports that Pavano appears to be taking the weekend to consider the Twins' proposal.
We heard last week that the Twins were closing in on a deal with Pavano, but there's no official agreement so far. The 35-year-old has posted a 3.97 ERA in 294 2/3 innings since arriving in Minnesota midway through the 2009 season. He posted 4.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 2010, when he logged 221 frames of 3.75 ERA ball.
In a way, signing Pavano will cost the Twins more in compensation than it would cost any other club, since they’d lose two high compensation picks that they’d get if he signed elsewhere.
Apparently, there are no takers for him on a three year deal. I can’t blame clubs for not going three seasons with him after really only one solid season on the mound. Still, the Twins rotation looks iffy without him, although they have a history of pulling pitchers out of the system that out pitch their projections. With a thinned out bullpen, they can use the veteran in the rotation.
I just don’t think there was any interest there period. I mean it was the Rangers (possibly), Brewers, Nationals, Pirates (I think) and I think one other team.
The Rangers and Brewers weren’t going to do it when they signed other guys. The Nats would have given us a third rounder + sandwich, but I just didn’t see him going there anyway.
I didn’t see him going to the Pirates either and their first was protected too. And I still can’t remember the other team.
I don’t feel like the Twins are losing out on picks just because it doesn’t seem like he had real options besides the Twins once the Brewers got Greinke and once the Rangers were out on him too (if they were ever truly in).
I think Pavano is heavily needed for 2011. I don’t think he’s needed for past that, but whatever. I just hope that waiting this long kicked down length and price.
The Royals were briefly linked to him, although I don’t know how real that “interest” was. So that was probably the other team. But yeah, their first-round pick would have been protected too.
Pavano better comment on this post !!
I still don’t understand the appeal of Carl Pavano.
One decent, healthy year in the last six and all of the sudden, teams are willing to give a 35-year-old pitcher two guaranteed years?
This guy shouldn’t get anything more than one year and maybe $6-7MM.
I can see 1/9 maybe, but yeah, I think part of the reason he remains unsigned is that even the Twins were unwilling to go above one year and an option. That may very well be their final offer to him right now, since there’s no other obvious suitor. I know he wants to return to MN, but it’s probably SIGNIFICANTLY less than he was hoping… hence the weekend to mull it over.
Maybe he’s got something like 2/16 from a club like KC, and 1/9 + Option from Minnesota, and he’s debating. If that were the case, I’d hope he chooses Minnesota, but I don’t think he’s as critical as most do.
any time i pitched without injury i have excelled. injuries are part of the game and anyone can be hurt. 2 years isnt much of a gamble and one can only hope that the injuries are in the past
He’s an innings eater and gives up lots of groundballs.
Also, Carl Pavano rarely walks anyone..his BB/9 in 2010 was 1.68.
If he stays healthy, he should do alright. Target field is a pitchers ball park. I could see him with an ERA under 4, but I wouldn’t over pay for a guy that will give you an ERA between 3.5 and 4. He was good down the stretch last year
I hear you, but in the last two years he has stabilized quite nicely.
2009: 3.7 WAR
2010: 3.2 WAR
Not bad for a No.3/4 guy in your rotation.
moustache wax at heimies is irresistible. i guess i ‘ll come back
You’ve made us forget about Sir Mauer’s mighty sideburns, O Great Follicle King. Far be it from you to abandon your kingdom and Target Castle in our hour of gravest need!
Two things: Please don’t be more than two years. I wanted 1 year plus option, but it sounded like Pavano said no to that.
Secondly, please don’t be 10 a year at all, no matter what.
I think we need him for 2011. It’ll be very hard to replace his 200 innings and the fact that he pitched into the 7th inning (+60% of his starts) saving the bullpen a ton. That is something that Baker and Slowey can only dream of doing.
Scott Baker 2009: 200 IP, 14/29 starts of 6.1 innings or more.
Yeah I guess the extra three starts it would’ve taken for Baker to get to 60% are a pipe dream.
Twins’ fans irrational hatred of Baker is hilarious.
2010: 11/29 (38%)
2009: 14/33 (42%)
2008: 13/28 (46%)
2007: 11/23 (48%)
2006: 2/16 (13%)
2005: 2/9 (33%)
Please check your stats before posting them as fact….just makes you look like a total fanboy.
Not a fanboy… just someone whose eyes apparently can’t read multiple lines correctly. I looked at his 2010 total stats for starts and his 2009 number of starts going into the 7th. Admittedly, my mistake.
I’ve never understood it either. Maybe they got their hopes up after his nice 2008 and felt let down?
Even that doesn’t make much sense though, as he’s been unlucky more than anything. His peripheral numbers in 2009 and 2010 are nearly identical to what they were in 2008. The abnormal BABIP was his downfall last year.
If the BABIP drops back down to .280 or so, and he stays healthy, Baker could easily put up a sub-4.00 ERA. He’s not going to set the world on fire, but he’s a solid pitcher and I’d take him on my team any day.
PS – I think fans of any team have irrational hatred towards at least one of their good players. O’s fans have been ripping Nick Markakis like crazy over the past two years. Philly fans used to complain about Cole Hamels all the time. It makes no sense.
Well there’s no reason for it fall back to .280… his career BABIP entering 2010 was .305. Even that though, would drop the ERA a ways.
I think the general dislike of Baker from Twins fans comes from the perceived “ace” status that was applied to him by the media after the Santana trade/Liriano injury. Baker is not a number one, but he was consistently being labeled as such. His expectations rose and he hasn’t continued his success from 2008 when he was very good. Baker is a great 3/good 2 and I’m happy to be paying him 3-4 million a year through 2013.
Please note the numbers alphabet_soup5 provided. I don’t hate Baker. I just know that last year, Pavano, Blackburn and Liriano were the only three to go into the 7th inning at least 50% of the time. And note, I said getting into the 7th inning, not 6th inning.
Pavano and Liriano were also the only ones who didn’t suck that entire one month when everybody else sucked.
Baker kills the pen because he can’t consistenly go deep into games. He’s the high fastball guy who gets pitch after pitch fouled off and it takes him out of games early. That’s not hatred for Baker, that’s fact.
I like Baker, I believe he’s our #2 (if not including Pavano). I just know what the facts are from last season and they aren’t good. I wish he also didn’t suck for two months to start the season…or be injured in that time. It has happened almost every season. He seems to be a great second half pitcher but it usually takes him awhile to get there.
Since when is pitching 6.1 innings not getting into the 7th inning? You didn’t say COMPLETING seven innings… you said getting into it. By that token, there’s probably a few starts where he began the 7th but didn’t get an out, not that that’s any better than pitching six and calling it a day.
I see where we are miscommunicating, as I am not typing it correctly. I’m thinking one way and typing another, my apologies.
I meant, pitching 7.0 and more a game. Baker’s at 38% in 2010 for that as alphabet_soup5 noted. Blackburn and Liriano are in the 50 percent range and Pavano was like 66%. Slowey was like in the 20’s I think.
That’s what I meant to say. Yes, completeing is what I meant. I think I’m a little tired!
Pavano was one of the most consistent pitchers for the Twins last year and was apparently a leader in the clubhouse (whatever that’s worth). I think people are overstating the value of the picks the Twins would have received if he signed elsewhere. If Pavano would have left it would have likely been to a team with a protected 1st round pick and the entire MLB draft is pretty much a crap shoot. The Twins can just as easily spend the money they save on not having those draft picks in the International market or even drafting a player who wants an above-slot bonus.
It also makes me wonder what the Twins will do with the Starter who is pushed out of the rotation (Blackburn/Slowey). They seem to have quite a few long relief options so one of these two could be dealt.
Hang it up Twins fans. Pavano, no Pavano who cares 2011 is the year the White Sox dominate that division. Pavano would not even make the Sox rotation. Danks, Buerhle, Floyd, Jackson and Sale until the Jakester is ready. Besides the huge Adam Dunn signing the Sox won’t have Jenks around anymore to blow late inning leads. I guess you can hope for a wild card slot.
Don’t feed the trolls.
Ahhhh, wouldn’t it be nice if things actually played out like how they looked on paper in January. There’d be no need to play all 162 games, because frankly, thats a whole helluva lot of games to watch. You could just sign some players over the winter and then start printing your team’s playoff merch.
Yeah, instead you’ve got Crain to blow late inning leads. Enjoy.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Crain vs. the Twins this year. I hope he’s their closer, too. They don’t call him Crainwreck for nothing!
You mean four of the same starters who couldn’t beat the Twins last season? You’ve added Adam Dunn, which will likely take away some of the advantage the Twins would’ve had over you when Konerko didn’t replicate his miracle age-33 career year.
Ever year I wonder how White Sox fans can be so cocky. It happens every offseason. In the same years the Twins have won six division titles the White Sox have won two, yet every year White Sox fans say they’re going to beat us and most of the time they don’t.
And almost every year we kick the crap out of them in head to heads though they are supposedly “better.”
It must be a Chicago thing…
I want to hear “Love Train” by the O’Jays every time Jesse comes out against us at Target Field. No other song would capture the feel-goodness of the moment like that one.
Buerhle, Danks, Floyd, Jackson, and Sale till the Jakester is ready. Sorry dude you drink to much from the Chicago river. That rotation is a great advantage for the Twins. Liriano, Pavano, Baker, Duensing, and Blackburn/Slowey, that’s a rotation that will win 90 games. Don’t even start on everyday starting nine.
Baker, Duensing, Blackburn & Slowey wow is that weak. That wouldn’t be a good AAA rotation. Ouch I almost feel bad for you all. At least years from now you will be able to tell your grandkids you saw the amazing Chris Sale pitch in person. To bad your lefties will be seeing him up close, well at least for 3 pitches.
Conveniently leave out Liriano, nice work.
Also, isn’t that the same rotation that ran away with the division in 2010?
Konerko/ Morneau is a wash if Morneau can even walk a straight line. Beckham way over your unkown 2B. Alexi R is best SS in AL, 3B is a wash. Pierre who lead the league in SB’s over lazy Young. Rios no brainer over Span. RF wash Cuddyer = Quintin. C big edge for Mauer. DH Dunn crushes old man with bad back Thome. Sox rotation is clearly stronger & Crain is our secret weapon in the pen. Maybe the twins can beat out the Tigers for 2nd, maybe not.
ummm…no…Im not a white sox or twins fans so i have no bias. My take:
Morneau if healthy is certainly better over Konerko. The 2010 Konerko is not the standard, he is more than likely closer to 2009 konerko at his age.
3b is no wash, if Danny Valencia had played a full season, he would have been the rookie of the year favorite.
Dunn might crush Thome because Thome will be platooned but he is in no way shape or form a huge advantage over righties, which, coincidentally, are more common than lefties in the game.
Crain is nothing special. At all. One year wonders for BP arms and suddenly they are the second coming, yeah right. I can make a laundry list of average BP arms who have one stand out season or two and people get way to excited because of small sample sizes.
Pierre led the League in SB’s…great. He still isn’t an offensive asset and your kidding yourself if you think he is better offensively than Young.
Can’t argue much with Cuddyer/Quentin, seems about right.
and Mauer crushes, eats, spits back out, and eats up again the catchers for the white sox.
Konerko/ Morneau is a wash if Morneau can even walk a straight line. Beckham way over your unkown 2B. Alexi R is best SS in AL, 3B is a wash. Pierre who lead the league in SB’s over lazy Young. Rios no brainer over Span. RF wash Cuddyer = Quintin. C big edge for Mauer. DH Dunn crushes old man with bad back Thome. Sox rotation is clearly stronger & Crain is our secret weapon in the pen. Maybe the twins can beat out the Tigers for 2nd, maybe not.
Oh yeah I almost forgot we also have the amazing Ozzie calling the shots, enough said.
Oh yeah I almost forgot we also have the amazing Ozzie calling the shots, enough said.
Mike, it’s fun going back and fourth. I guess we’ll see a soon enough. One of my favorite summer pastimes is watching the Twins with their mediocre rotation run away from the mighty whites. I believe it’s federal law that the Twins must sweep them every September at the Cell.
Is it also a federal law that the Twinkies will play sacrificial lambs to the Yanks in October or do they just like being the Yankees bitches?