By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

 

On Friday, Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano was excused from his start against the Devil Rays due to some personal reasons which turned out to be his girlfriend having a "severe medical condition." He is now slated to pitch against the Red Sox on Monday. There is absolutely nothing wrong with tending to a loved one over your job -- it would be ludicrous not to. But the entire episode is a microcosm of Pavano's career in pinstripes: something always manages to prevent him from pitching. The right-hander, starting the third season of a $39.95 million, four-year contract, hasn't pitched in the major leagues since June 27, 2005, due to shoulder, back, buttocks, elbow and rib injuries. Here's your chance to see my take on Pavano's problems, and respond with some thoughts of your own.

In nine years in the Major Leagues, Carl Pavano has been healthy for just two. In 2001, surgery on Pavano's elbow prevented him from pitching until August after being pushed back from a previous May start date. In 2005, he was placed on the DL and made numerous rehab starts in the Minor Leagues.

Last season was not a banner year either. After injuring his buttocks in Spring Training, Pavano was out for 60 days with a back strain and bone chips in his right elbow. On August 15 ,2006, he broke two ribs in an automobile accident. He didn't tell the Yankees until August 28, the day they informed him that they planned for him to come off the disabled list to pitch on the 31. This season in spring training he missed one fielding session with sore legs, and created a scare taking a liner off his left foot, which resulted in a bone bruise.

In his entire career, Pavano has had only two winning seasons: in 2000, when he was with Montreal, and in 2004, when he had a freakishly large 18-8 record with the Marlins. With the exception of his time in a Marlin uniform in 2003 and 2004, Pavano has never pitched more than 140 innings. He has a 4.27 lifetime ERA.

New York acquired Pavano in December of 2004, right after his freak 18-8 season. Needless to say, when you buy on impulse you often get taken. The Yankees were just coming off being upended by Boston and were looking for something quick. Pavano had pitched Game 4 of the 2003 World Series against the Yankees, holding them to one run and seven hits over eight innings.

 

So the Yankees did what they normally do when a guy beats them in a World Series -- they offered him a big, fat contract when he became a free agent. About $40 million later, Pavano has accumulated a 4-6 record in 17 starts, which so far averages out to $1 million per game. And you thought that pitching was already overpriced. Anybody else see a similarity to another pitcher who throws left-handed and was recently shipped back to the desert? They were both acquired for the same reason, at the same time, and both highly on impulse. Truly money well spent.

Rather then going out for another pitcher, the Yankees would prefer to get something out of Pavano for the $40 million contract they have him under. To cut him loose completely would benefit another team. The Bombers have also made it crystal clear that they intend to keep young phenom Phil Hughes in the Minor Leagues for as long as possible to build up his arm strength, and with the addition of Kei Igawa to the starting rotation, it looks as though Pavano is here to stay in pinstripes for the next two seasons.

Torre has said that Pavano's absence from the club was a one-day matter, and that any further attention Pavano needs to pay to his girlfriend's health will have to be done on his personal time. If Pavano gets put on the DL again this season (and you can bet he will at least once) he'll have plenty of personal time to spend.

Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!