Looks like the Bucs last best chance to land a top end pitcher may have bitten the dust. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated wrote "Carl Pavano and the Twins are expected to have a two-year deal by the middle of this week. The Pirates in particular have made a run at Pavano, but the Twins' advantage is that they are a contending team...(and have) provided a comfortable environment for the pitcher to thrive in the last two seasons."
Heyman tweeted before the deal that the Pirates were one of the teams still actively seeking pitching. Hey, Aaron Heilman is still available!
3 comments:
Pavano an ace? Really?
Yah, anon, that was kinda noticeable in Heyman's story. Still, he was - still is, for a bit - the closest thing to a top-end guy left on the market.
If Pavano were a year or two younger I'd be on board with going after him. Now, though, he's borderline. He should still have a couple of solid seasons left, but he never was a power pitcher and he misses fewer bats now than he did in his prime. I think he and the Pirates are better off having him sign with a contender like the Twins. Veteran savvy probably goes a longer way with them than it would here in Pittsburgh, at least at this point in time with the team we figure to have for another year or two. Mind you, it would be nice to get a still-productive-if-no-longer-elite veteran starting pitcher to chew innings and lead the staff, but Pavano is too expensive at his age for that role.
Meanwhile, there are still a handful of low risk, high reward guys kicking around who could pay off big if they can get healthy. Brandon Webb is gone, but isn't Duchscherer still unsigned?
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