BRADENTON, Fla. – According to several teams who are hunting for starting pitching, the Yankees aren’t shopping Carl Pavano.
“They aren’t looking to trade him,” an AL talent evaluator said. “They have made that very clear.”
Since Pavano has missed the last 1½ seasons with a variety of injuries and is owed $22.95 million for the upcoming two seasons, many believed the Yankees would look to deal the 31-year-old right-hander as soon as he proved to other teams he was healthy. The Cardinals, Rockies and Mariners showed interest in the offseason. However, the Yankees apparently feel Pavano can offer back-of-the-rotation help.
Pavano returned to Legends Field yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was encouraged by Joe Torre to leave the ballpark and attend to a medical problem girlfriend Gia Allemand was experiencing. Pavano spoke briefly to reporters about how his bullpen session went may talk today about his reason for leaving Friday night.
Torre said yesterday that Pavano would start against the Red Sox tomorrow night in Ft. Myers. Darrell Rasner, who was slated to open, will go second and Ross Ohlendorf will follow Rasner.
“He was tired,” Torre said of Pavano, who he spoke to yesterday morning before leaving for the game against the Pirates at McKechnie Field.
After not pitching since June 2005 when a shoulder problem that didn’t require surgery ended his season, Pavano missed all of last year with back, buttocks and rib injuries.
He hasn’t suffered a significant injury, but Pavano’s third Yankee camp hasn’t been a smooth ride. Mike Mussina publicly questioned Pavano’s desire to pitch for the team and that resulted in a closed-door meeting between the pitchers. Tired legs forced Pavano to miss a fielding drill, and he took a batting practice liner off the left foot prior to the exhibition season starting.
Between Sunday’s start and getting scratched Friday, the man who was driving a truck Pavano hit with his car last August, when he suffered broken ribs, filed a lawsuit against Pavano.