Carl Pavano returns to Yankees rotation Saturday
Right-hander to make first MLB appearance in 18 months
In the words of Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison: “Hey, Carl! Good to see you!”
That’s at least the public sentiment around the New York Yankees today, who announced that the oft-injured and much-maligned Carl Pavano will make his official return to pinstripes at Camden Yards this Saturday. Pavano, coming off Tommy John ligament replacement surgery last June, hasn’t pitched in the majors since beating the Minnesota Twins on April 9, 2007.
Pavano, however, has looked good in his rehab starts this summer. In 19 innings at Single-A Charleston and Double-A Trenton, he has compiled a 1-1 record with a 3.32 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and an impressive 19 strikeouts. If he can be a force down the stretch in a Yankees rotation decimated by injuries this year, both he and the Yankees will finally get something out of perhaps the worst contract in Bombers’ history.
For the Yankees: Another quality arm?
Pavano will become the 11th different hurler to start a game for the Yankees this year when he takes the mound on Saturday. For all the talk of how the pitching staff has been ravaged by injury, consider this: The last time the Yankees used less starters in a season was 2003, when their projected five-man rotation started 151 of the 162 games and only four others chipped in. That year, the Yankees went to the World Series – where they were downed by Pavano’s Florida Marlins.
If Pavano can even be close to the pitcher he was in those glory years, he will be an instant upgrade to the Yankees rotation. Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes have struggled mightily this year, going a combined 0-8 in 15 starts. Kei Igawa got lit up in his only big league start, and Darrell Rasner looks like Cy Young one night and Anthony Young the next. With Chien-Ming Wang and possibly Joba Chamberlain out for the season, a healthy and solid Pavano would give the Yankees a core four they feel confident with.
For Pavano: An audition
Should he remain healthy and in the rotation, Pavano will have seven or eight starts to prove that he is back to 100 percent. That may not seem like a lot, but when you consider that Pavano has only made 19 so far as a Yankee – all but two of them coming before the 2005 All-Star break – it’s a big step.
The Yankees hold a $13 million club option for 2009 on Pavano, but even if he pitches a half-dozen perfect games, it’s likely they will instead exercise the $1.95 million buyout. Should they do so, Pavano won’t get anywhere close to the four-year, $39.95 million dollar deal the Yankees gave him – but a solid final six weeks in The Bronx could be the difference between a decent deal and a minor-league one.
For the future: A match made in Heaven?
And who knows – if Pavano pitches well, could the Yanks be one of those teams looking to give Pavano another shot? Wang and Chamberlain will certainly anchor next year’s staff, and CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets among others are available. But again, if Pavano does well, the Yankees have certainly weighed worse options. A one-year deal for $3 or $4 million might not be a bad investment, even as a fallback crutch.
Ultimately, Carl Pavano now controls his future in Major League Baseball. To paraphrase a line from Varsity Blues, he has six weeks to determine the next six years of his career. Will he be a hero?
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