 Carl Pavano vs. Kei Igawa
As you could probably tell from last night's post, I'm feeling a little down about the Yankees on-the-field performance so far this season. I realize it's early. I know they won't play this poorly the entire season. I'm sure they'll be in the thick of things come July or August, but still, I need some relief.
What better way to get your mind off the the on-the-field problems than to have an old-fashioned steel cage match pitting the two biggest pinstripe disappointments of the past decade against each other. After the jump we'll break down the Yankee careers of Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano, click through, check it out and vote in the poll. Maybe we'll send the results to Brian Cashman and the Yankees scouting directors as well.
Age before mullets, Pavano's up first.  Name: Carl Pavano Birth Date: January 8, 1976 Contract: 4 years, $39.95M Shining Moment: Missing a spring training start in 2007 to rush his then girlfriend Gia Allemond, to the hospital for an emergency, ahem, gynecological procedure. Dollars Per Game: $2,105,000.00 Dollars Per Inning: $359,236.54 Dollars Per Win: $7,999,000.00 Dollars Per Strike Out: $666,583.33 Dollars Per Out: $119,745.51 Dollars Per Pitch: $23,471.24 Not Our Problem Anymore: October, 2008 Mitigating Factor: While Pavano may be a grade A useless piece of sh!t, he did at least have the common courtesy to say no when the Yanks asked him to accept a minor league assignment so they could free up a spot on the 40-man roster. He was worried about his MLB service time in relation to his pension. I guess stealing $40M isn't enough financial security for big Carl. We know he doesn't need the money for child support, though.  Birth Date: July 13, 1979 Contract: 5 years, $20M + $26,000,194 post Shining Moment: Tie between shades on the mound and a 3-3 record for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in AAA this season. Dollars Per Game: $3,066,679.60 Dollars Per Inning: $650,946.11 Dollars Per Win: $23,000,097.00 Dollars Per Strike Out: $867,928.19 Dollars Per Out: $216,982.04 Dollars Per Pitch: $35,769.98 Not Our Problem Anymore: October, 2011 Mitigating Factor: While the numbers above are truly impressive, Igawa will most likely get several more chances to waste Yankee money and squander their playoff hopes over the next 3+ seasons. Don't forget to vote below. Wanger vs. Edwin Jackson tomorrow. 
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I'd say at least Pavano was talented and other teams really coveted him. When he was healthy he was a fine starter. Igawa does not have that luxury, he literally lacks the talent to pitch in the MLB. I'd say giving that money for someone not even good enough to pitch when healthy is a bigger mistake.
Yeah, that's my feeling as well. Pavano was a bad signing, I mean he wasn't exactly effective when he was on the mound for the Yanks, but you can't predict the injuries or the complete spinelessness.
Igawa was just absolute garbage from day 1 and there's no way any scout should've seen a guy throwing high-eighties fastballs up in the zone and thought, "That guy is worth $46M." Total breakdown.
The thing about Pavano is there's zero chance he'll win another game for the Yankees. Igawa may still win one, and who knows, maybe by some miracle he'll win two. I'm just saying statistically there's a better chance Igawa will win more games than Pavano for the Yanks, and so all things being equal, that makes him a better investment. That is, not as as worse an investment as Pavano.
That's the debate, though. Is more futile performance worth more than pure absence?
I agree. I'd rather have no one start than Igawa. Before his last start, my friend said "I think the MLB should spot the Yankees 5 runs for starting him."
And to your "wins" point. Wins are so arbitrary, you can give up 8 runs in 2 innings and win 9-8 if the runs come at the right time. Fact of the matter is that he's going to be a negative effect on the game rather than none. That's a vacuum of team spirit.