Pitching wins championships.

I’m not denying that, but the complete management of a team in the salary constraints the Florida Marlins face cannot simply adhere to this rule when it comes to all their players.

Free agent pitcher Carl Pavano is a player the Marlins would like to keep around because he was the Marlins best pitcher last season thanks to his consistency and 18 wins last season , but Pavano is as good as gone.

He already has been quoted by ESPN the Magazine saying he does not want to play another game in September in front of 500 fans; instead he wants a baseball town with more passion and a team that has the financial means to be competitive to win a championship every season.

That quote signals that not even an exuberant amount of money can keep Pavano in a Marlins uniform because he wants to leave to play for a championship every year.

Let alone the fact that the Marlins cannot afford to break the bank on Pavano because they have younger players they need to sign-long term first like Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett to name a few.

On the other hand, Florida catcher Paul Lo Duca needs to be given a new contract and what he brings to the team is far more important than what Pavano brings in addition to being much more affordable.



In baseball, it is very rare that a team with a mediocre catcher reaches the playoffs and it is very difficult to get a decent catcher on the open market if your team cannot break open the bank for him.

As history has shown with the Florida Marlins, the team has only been competitve three years and in those seasons Florida had a tremendous catcher at the helm.

In 1997 when they won the World Series, the Marlins had Gold Glove catcher Charles Johnson.

In 2003 the team had Ivan Rodriguez and just last season, the Marlins struggled midseason until they made the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire Paul Lo Duca.

As the Marlins have proven, you can find a pitcher who has had a bad year or two and convert them into a great player like Mark Redman, Carl Pavano, and Armando Benitez in just the last two years. If and when Pavano departs, the Marlins could fill the gap with the likes of Al Leiter, and Odalis Perez.

Lo Duca brings tremendous team chemistry, consistency with the Marlins young pitchers, clutch hitting, and great defense to the Marlins.

It is much harder to find that than a pitcher who had only one great season and plays once every five days instead of everyday.

The other aspect is the money.

To keep Pavano, the Marlins will have to compete with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Socks and that is a game Florida does not have the funds to win.

Lo Duca has made his millions and will continue to do so, but for Pavano this is his first chance to grab a huge paycheck and that will outweigh any ties he has to the Marlins.

It would be nice to keep Carl Pavano, but he has already decided to move on and the Marlins have more important players to hang on to.