Archive for Carl Pavano
Ensberg added to 40-man roster
Posted by: | CommentsVia PeteAbe, the Yanks have added Morgan Ensberg to the 40-man roster and will pay him $1.75M to come off the bench and start against tough lefties this year. Carl Pavano lands on the 60-day DL to make room for Ensberg, who is out options and will NOT wear number 21. This basically means that the bench is set, with Ensberg joining Wilson Betemit, Jose Molina and whoever sits between the Shelley-Matsui-Giambi-Damon group on a given day. I suppose that Shelley could be shipped to Triple-A with a Cody Ransom-type taking his spot on the bench, but I think it’s unlikely. I like the move; Ensberg is a class act and one helluva complimentary player.
The Organizational Depth Chart has been updated accordingly.
Carl Pavano throws, does not get injured
Posted by: | CommentsCarl Pavano showed up in Tampa and had a 12-minute catch from 90 feet, according to the Associated Press. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Pavano were to arrive in the Bronx after the All Star Break to spell the Big Three now and then as they near their innings cap?
The agent is not the problem
Posted by: | CommentsCarl Pavano has signed with a new agent for the fourth time in four years. Considering that Pavano has himself a cool $39.95 million for making 19 starts across four seasons, I don’t think his agent is really to blame.
The Yankees have a sense of humor
Posted by: | CommentsI can’t really criticize the Yankees for the Carl Pavano contract. In 2004, everyone wanted a piece of Pavano, and the Yanks were bidding against the Red Sox, Tigers and Orioles, to name a few of the teams involved. Who knew that Carl Pavano, who had just thrown back-to-back 200-inning seasons, would utterly break down?
This week, when the Yankees officially welcome Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera back into the fold, the Carl Pavano Era will come to an ignoble end. The Yankees are going to release Pavano and sign him to a Minor League deal for the purposes of rehab and insurance.
That’s not the funny part though. Here’s the funny part, courtesy of George King:
Pavano, 31, can’t return to Arizona because his questionable work ethic ticked off fitness guru Brett Fischer last winter. Pavano is leaning toward accepting the Yankees’ minor-league offer so he can have a place to rehab his elbow. By keeping him in the system, the Yankees protect themselves from Pavano healing ahead of schedule (pigs have a better chance of flying) and pitching effectively for another team.
So basically, the Yankees are worried that Pavano, whose work ethic is so bad that a fitness expert won’t take him on as a client, may recover faster than they anticipate? And I have a bridge to sell you.
The Yanks got 19 starts and 111.1 innings from Carl Pavano for their $39.95 million. They have to keep him in the Minors to collect the insurance on his contract. But do they really have to feed us this line? I guess the Yanks really do have that sense of humor.
The End (of Pavano) is near
Posted by: | CommentsFrom George “I make up funny nicknames for players, like Kyle ‘The Mop’ Farnsworth, haha” King:
With a need for space on the 40-man roster, the Yankees are about to approach “American Idle” Carl Pavano. Their plan is to release him then invite him to spring training on a minor-league deal. Pavano had Tommy John surgery last summer. The minor-league offer may have something to do with collecting insurance money on Pavano’s four-year, $40 million contract that expires after the 2008 season.
Let’s just end this experiment already and let him walk. Maybe Dave Duncan can work his magic and revitalize Pavano’s career, but his days in pinstripes should be over.
(Hat tip to Patrick)
Almost as rare as Big Foot
Posted by: | CommentsSpotted outside my office this afternoon: A man wearing a Yankee shirt with the number 45 on the back and the name Pavano written above it. That’s right; I saw someone wearing a Carl Pavano shirt in public. Maybe he was out of clean clothing because really, who does that?
Suing Carl Pavano
Posted by: | Comments
When the news came down on Wednesday that Carl Pavano will have season-ending reconstructive surgery on his elbow, no one really blinked. After two-plus seasons of Pavano’s routine, no one was surprised that Pavano would be missing out on fulfilling the remainder of his four-year deal.
It’s hard to believe that things weren’t always like this. Following the 2004 season when Pavano hit free agency, a bidding war erupted. The Red Sox wanted him; the Tigers wanted him; the Phillies and Rangers were mildly interested. It took recruiting phone calls from the Joe Torre and Derek Jeter to lure Pavano to the Bronx. Fans and players alike acted as though it were a big coup.
Well, $39.95 million and 19 starts later, the Yanks hardly got a return on their investment. Pavano won 5 games for the Yanks. He threw 111.3 innings and had an ERA of 4.77.
Since arriving in New York, Pavano has developed a reputation as a whiner, a complainer and a selfish player. The media and his teammates have questioned his desire to play, and if he comes back from this surgery, you can bet he won’t don the Yankee uniform in 2008. When he becomes a free agent in Nov. 2008, he’ll be lucky to sign an incentive-laden deal with a second-tier team. A Minor League deal and a spring training invite could be all that awaits him.
The Yankees, on the other hand, are probably furious with him. This is money that could have spent elsewhere and on a player who wanted to perform. It is safe to say that Carl Pavano did not live up to the terms of his contract. So I think the Yankees should sue Carl Pavano.
I’m not familiar with the standard player contract for Major League Baseball, and I’m sure the contract as an injury clause in it. But it’s really easy to claim that Carl Pavano did not honor his side of the contract and is in breach.
He was paid $39.95 million to play baseball for four years. Instead, he missed all of 2005 to various maladies including a broken rib sustained in a car accident and will now miss the rest of 2007 and most, if not all, of 2008.
Of course, no team would sue a player, but it would certainly be interesting to see how such a suit would play out. And it would be great revenge just to drag Pavano’s oft-injured ass into court.
Image from Da Bronx Bombers.
Carl Pavano: Big, fat pussy
Posted by: | CommentsFrom today’s Under the Knife (subscription required):
Here’s the long and short on Carl Pavano–even before he had an MRI or saw a specialist, he’d made the decision to have Tommy John surgery…
Much like Octavio Dotel a few years ago, though, Pavano is simply not willing to pitch through the soreness…
Call him “American Idle” or the “Rajah of Rehab” if you want. In my opinion, he’s gone beyond that, and is simply stealing money.
The gist of the article is that Pavano’s UCL is torn, but not completely, and it shouldn’t necessitate surgery. By having the surgery, he basically ends his tenure as a Yankee, which I’m sure he welcomes.
Notice that I didn’t once mention his name in the Clemens article. The Yanks are certainly better off at this point not having Carl Pavano around. Though, if he just allowed the injury to heal and was willing to pitch through pain, he could be added to that budding bullpen mix. That’s just not happening, though.
This leaves the Yanks in an interesting scenario. They don’t need Pavano; not now, not later this season, not next year. He wants to have surgery that is not necessary — on the team’s dime, for certain — and then rehab — also on the team’s dime. If he continues to insist on surgery against the team’s will, DFA him. Now, I’m not sure if that removes the team’s responsibility to pay for his surgery and rehab. But if it does, there’s no reason for Pavano to stick around. Let some other team deal with him.
Pavano and Tommy John may soon have something in common
Posted by: | CommentsWell, folks, the Carl Pavano Experience may finally be coming to an end. Loyal reader Jason B. sent us this tip from Don Amore’s blog. Carl Pavano is heading to see Dr. James Andrews and could be out for quite a while.
The Pavano news is bad. He had been throwing on the side, and got up on the mound on Sunday, but though the team kept saying he was getting better, he didn’t seem so optimistic. He is going to see Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and may, in fact, need Tommy John surgery, which would finish him for this season and probably next season,too, possibly ending is career.
“It’s getting ridiculous, the team needs me,” Pavano said. “It’s frustrating for all of us.”
There just ain’t much left to say about the man some Yankee writers have dubbed the Rajah of Rehab. Carl Pavano will pocket $39.95 million for what looks like 19 starts over four years. This will go down as one of the worst signings in Yankee history, but now, we can stick a fork in Pavano because he’s done.
Pavano shut down
Posted by: | CommentsNo jokes, no whimsy, no nicknames, just the news. Pavano shut himself down today during a bullpen session. He said he “felt something.”
More as we hear it.
