Brewers, Pavano in Talks

Best mustache this side of Ned Colletti

Now that Cliff Lee is poised to make a decision this weekend, Carl Pavano becomes the premier pitcher remaining on the market.  That's kind of scary if you think about it.  Anyway... 

The Brewers and Pavano have been involved in "very productive" discussions over the last few days:

“I thought it went well,” said O’Connell, who along with Pavano met with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant general manager Gord Ash. “It was a very productive meeting. They gave us a view of the organization and how Carl would fit in their rotation. They talked about Milwaukee and what they have to offer. It was a very educational meeting, a positive experience.”

Pavano is reportedly looking for a 3 year $33M deal similar to the one the Dodgers gave to Ted Lilly in October.  The Brewers are reluctant to go beyond two years at this point.  They've had poor luck (read: have made terrible decisions) in giving out contracts to free agent pitchers on the wrong side of 30 in recent years.  (See Jeff Suppan, Randy Wolf) 

I can understand the Brewers apprehension with giving Pavano, who will turn 35 in January, three years.  Considering his age and injury history, Pavano's not a great bet to provide enough value to justify his next contract.  I like Pavano.  I love the way he's rebuilt his career over the past two seasons, providing 6.9 WAR over that time.  That said, if Pavano was demanding three years from my team, I would have to pass.

Pavano is said to have met with four teams, with one of those teams being the Washington Nationals.  The market for Pavano will likely continue to be slow for the next few days, while the Lee situation gets sorted out.  Once it does, expect a deal to come together within a week.