Pirates Still Pursuing Pavano

Carl Pavano

It has been reported be Jon Heyman, of Sports Illustrated, that the Pirates are still actively pursuing Carl Pavano, who prefers the Twins, and is in active negotiations with. Pavano, 35 years old, wants the chance to be a staff ace, on a competitive team. At 35 years of age, being a staff ace, seems to be a bit of a stretch, for the Twins, but with the Pirates starting rotation, he would clearly hold that distinction. 


Being a pivotal part of the 2003 World Series Champions Marlins, he successfully reached the goal of all baseball players. While he may want to play with a competitive team, he is using the open market to obtain one final contract, worth a large sum. After signing a $1.5M contract, in 2009, with the Indians, he was traded to the Twins, where he excelled and was rewarded with a $7M contract for 2010. It is a common practice to show interest in one team, in attempt to increase the offer from another.


Contract negotiations have, reportedly, been going on for nearly two weeks, between Pavano and the Twins. It has been known, for some time, that he is looking for 3 years, at nearly $10M a year. The Pirates have the room to add that much to the payroll, for the 2011 season, and very well may add, just not with one player though. 


The pursuit of Pavano will not end, until he is officially signed with the Twins.