It’s been a long, strange journey. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that the Yankees plan on releasing oft-injured starter/punchline Carl Pavano before November 20th. The 40-man roster spot will be needed to protect more valuable players. At the latest, the Yanks would release Pavano before Spring Training.
The $13MM still owed to Pavano has to be treated as a sunk cost. At most he might be able to pitch for two months in 2008 following Tommy John surgery.
Has a lesson been learned here? Just last year the Yankees committed $46MM for five years of Kei Igawa, seemingly as an answer to the Red Sox getting Daisuke Matsuzaka. It doesn’t seem likely that they’ll go after any of these free agent landmines this winter.
