The Brewers are kicking the tires on so many free agent pitchers, their shoes already are getting worn out.
The latest name to surface as a possible target is Carl Pavano. The right-hander's agent, Tom O'Connell, confirmed he had informal talks with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin about his client.
"He's definitely on their radar," O'Connell said.
O'Connell wouldn't reveal the years or money he is seeking for Pavano but anticipated speaking with Melvin again at the winter meetings in Indianapolis, Dec. 7-10. The market for pitchers always moves slowly, so it makes sense to think nothing much will happen before those meetings.
"It's a solid market (for Pavano), but teams always take the 'wait and see' approach," O'Connell said. "Certain guys (on the market) are going to dictate how the other guys go."
Pavano, who will be 34 in January, rebounded from some tough, injury-riddled years with the Yankees to go 14-12 with a 5.10 ERA in 33 starts last season with Cleveland and Minnesota. In 199 1/3 innings, he allowed 235 hits but only 39 walks with 147 strikeouts. He had a 1.37 WHIP and .294 opponents batting average.
After going 9-8 with a 5.37 ERA for Cleveland, Pavano was picked up by the Twins for the playoff race and went 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 12 starts. Minnesota is reported to be interested in re-signing Pavano. He is a Class B free agent, so the Brewers would not forfeit a draft pick by signing him.
Milwaukee has been mentioned as a possible suitor for right-hander John Lackey, the top-rated pitcher on the market. But it's unlikely the Brewers would be able to get into serious bidding for Lackey if big-market clubs join the fray.
Melvin is exploring the free agent market for pitchers with smaller price tags. He spoke at the GM meetings in early November with agent Arn Tellem, who represents left-hander Randy Wolf.
Wolf, 33, did a nice job for the Dodgers after signing a one-year, $5 million contract, going 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA in 34 starts. Wolf is a Class A free agent, but because the Brewers finished in the lower half of the major league standings in 2009, they would only forfeit a second-round draft pick to sign him, not a first-rounder.
Melvin also has talked with Steve Canter, the agent for free agent left-hander Doug Davis. The Brewers tried a couple of times last season to acquire Davis, including a waiver claim in August, but never could work out a deal with Arizona.
Davis, 34, went 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA in 34 starts, and Melvin likes the fact that he usually can be counted on to pitch 200 innings.
"The one thing is he's one of the healthier guys (on the market)," Melvin said. "Some pitchers out there haven't pitched a lot (recently). This guy is durable."
Canter said there is "considerable interest" in Davis, who made $8.75 million last year at the end of a three-year, $22 million deal. He also said that Davis enjoyed his time in Milwaukee when he pitched for the Brewers from 2003-06. Davis is a Class B free agent, requiring no draft-pick compensation from the signing team.
The Brewers also have interest in left-hander Jarrod Washburn, whom they tried to acquire from Seattle before the July 31 trade deadline. Instead, Washburn was traded to Detroit, where he struggled (1-3, 7.33 ERA in eight starts).
As it turned out, Washburn had a minor knee problem that required arthroscopic surgery after the season. His agent, Scott Boras, said Washburn's knee is fine now and indicated the Brewers have interest in his client.
Washburn, 35, made $9.85 million last year at the end of a four-year, $37.5 million deal. He is not a Class A or B free agent because of a poor 2008 season.
Because Washburn lives in western Wisconsin, he recently said he would be interested in pitching for either the Brewers or Twins, keeping him close to home.
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