Pavano is pitching well for the Minnesota after being traded by the Indians to the Twins in August 2009.
View full sizeStarting pitcher Carl Pavano is 17-10 with a 3.73 ERA since joining the Minnesota Twins in a trade with the Indians in August 2009. CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nobody talks about the third ace who was traded.
He didn't win a Cy Young Award like CC Sabathia in 2007 or Cliff Lee in 2008, but he was still an ace. Maybe not in the mind of the Indians, who may yet be found pennywise and pound foolish in his regard.
Sabathia was sent to Milwaukee in July 2008 with much debate. The debate grew into rebellion when Lee was shipped to Philadelphia in July 2009. The trade of Carl Pavano a week later was hardly worth a harsh word following a two-year teardown of the Indians' roster as ordered by ownership.
Pavano was traded to the Twins on Aug. 7. It was a Friday and I was in the back of a cab headed into Chicago to cover a three-game series against the White Sox when the Indians announced the deal. It was for a player to be named, who turned out to be Class AAA right-hander Yohan Pino. At the time it seemed to be an exchange of afterthoughts.
There was no anger over the deal on Pavano's part. He was trying to restart his career after four profitable, but lost years with the Yankees. The Indians gave him a chance, on an inexpensive deal, and he responded by going 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA in 21 starts and 125 2/3 innings.
Not great numbers, but for a team like the Indians, who squeeze every penny, it was a bonanza. They paid Pavano a base salary of $1.5 million. When he exceeded their expectations, and started closing in on an additional $2.75 million in incentives, he was traded to the Twins. By that time ownership was bailing with buckets and pumps to avoid a loss that Indians CEO Paul Dolan said could have gone as high as $16 million. Pavano was only too happy to leave.
"The Indians gave me a chance," he said last week at Target Field. "What they did in that trade definitely made the season for me."
The Twins trailed Detroit by 5 1/2 games in the AL Central the day they acquired Pavano. He beat the Tigers the next day to cut the deficit to 4 1/2. By the end of the regular season, the Twins and Tigers were tied and needed a one-game playoff to decide the division title. The Twins won.
"What we did the last six weeks of the season was crazy," Pavano said. "I think we were down, at one time, six or seven games and came back to force a 163rd game."
Pavano went 5-4 in 12 starts for Minnesota. In the AL Division Series, he pitched Game 3 against the Yankees. He allowed two runs in seven innings, but the Twins were swept in the best-of-five series.
Overall, Pavano went 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in 33 starts. He pitched 199 1/3 innings. In the previous three years with the Yankees, he pitched a combined 145 2/3 innings.
Pavano, 34, could have taken his act on the road. He was a free agent and just starting to feel like his old self. He filed for free agency, but when the Twins offered arbitration, he accepted and signed a one-year, $7 million deal.
"I enjoyed my time here," he said. "Getting the chance to defend our division title excited me."
Most importantly, Pavano knew he'd get a chance to keep pitching. This year he's 12-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts. In the Twins' mostly homegrown rotation, beset by injuries and inconsistency, Pavano has become the lead dog.
"We've got guys who can do great things here," he said. "Francisco Liriano has been good. Scott Baker is just getting back on track after some elbow problems.
"I've been in a lot of their positions. Sometimes you have it, you lose it and you've got to regain it. You have to reinvent yourself. It's just part of growing up in the game of baseball."
The Twins entered Saturday at 51-46 and in third place in the AL Central, three games behind first-place Chicago.
"Up until now, everything we've done this year is irrelevant," said Pavano. "The next two months are the most important of the season. The pack in the AL Central is tight. It's out there for the grabbing.
"I like where we're at."