Carl Pavano moves back to Minnesota on a two-year deal
If anyone thinks the off-season period is over, think again. The 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is surely not underway at the moment, but that doesn’t matter. After all, the action off the pitch isn’t any different from the one on the field. The
suspense would draw any distant fan close to the television screen if not the stands. For the players, it’s not any different. The spring training session is closing in and while there’s still less than a month left, ball clubs are trying to get their hands
on players that they want to sign for the 2011 regular season.
No matter what may come in the future, clubs are looking to improve their chances of making it to the playoffs this year. Big signings have made the headlines across the off-season. Cliff Lee moved to the Philadelphia Phillies, Carl Crawford made his way
to the Boston Red Sox and Jayson Werth joined a good prospect side, Washington Nationals. Brandon Webb and Adrian Beltre, on the other hand have moved on to the Texas Rangers.
There are still some players left on the market and the free agency still looks good for ball teams looking to plug in the deficit in their rotation and field positions. One team in particular has gone a long way and that’s the Minnesota Twins. The 2010
American League Central (ALC) champions have been making headlines after making some good acquisitions in the market. With the necessary inclusion of speed in the roster, the management wasted no time in acquiring Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Now with the winter break almost over, the team has gone ahead and acquired one of its best players from last year. Carl Pavano, who had been chased by many clubs for weeks, has finally made up his mind. The ace pitcher has wasted no further time in naming
the club he’ll be pitching for in April. The Twins, who provided Pavano with the stage to shine in 2010, have come out to grant the 35-year-old a two-year contract worth $16.5 million. The implication of signing the contract provides Minnesota a chance to
build on their success from last year.
The side will pay $8 million to the player this year and another $8.5 next year. Pavano was incredible last season as he piled up a 3.75 Earning Runs Average (ERA) and a clean record of 17 wins and 11 losses in the season. Manager Ron Gardenhire was able
to share his view on Carl’s signing.
He said, "He came in and showed the staff that this is what happens if you pitch. He's no-nonsense. He's accountable, good or bad, and he has no excuses. That's why you love the guy. He's a bulldog. He doesn't want to come out of the game. That's what we
want our young guys to see. I think they have all learned from him and we're excited to have him back."
Pavano was courted by the New York Yankees before he joined the Twins. Pavano spoke of his respect for Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.
He added, “I still, through the years, have had contact with him, and we've stayed in touch. When they won the World Series, I called him to congratulate him because he was nothing but a class gentleman when I was there. He treated me with a lot of respect,
and that shows a lot, that he was going to stick his neck out there for me if something was going to work out."
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