The trade deadline is officially 9 days away, and I'm getting antsy. Todd Wellemeyer flubbed again last night; 4.1 innings of sheer letdown. Is there a better option? There might be.

I'm going to keep slamming my head against the wall that is Todd Wellemeyer's inadequate interpretation of the term "starting pitcher" until we get an official quote from Mozeliak saying the price is too high on the Carl Pavano and company.

Specifically, Pavano.

R.J. Anderson has a new article at FanGraphs entitled: "Potential Trade Deadline Bargain: Carl Pavano." Some quotes:

Pavano’s 5.13 ERA is misleading. His FIP is a crisp 3.59; xFIP is 3.92; tRA is 4.33; and tRA* 4.49 (and remember, tRA is based on the RA scale, not ERA, so when you scale it to ERA those numbers are more like ~3.6-4.2). In words: he’s pitching quite well.

In comparison, when you look at Todd Wellemeyer's sky-high ERA, it actually is a tribute to poor pitching. His ERA now sits at 5.68 and his FIP is 4.95, nearly a run and a half higher than Pavano's. R.J. continues:

Just like that, 2.4 million rolls off, leaving his new team with – at most – 2.9 million in performance bonuses and whatever is left from his base salary.

The new team wouldn’t have to worry about forking over a ton of cash if Pavano blows his shoulder or elbow in a few starts. Plus, given his 2.5 WAR to date, he’s almost certainly going to be worth more than his second half salary.

Welle, in comparison, has a 0.3 WAR and has been worth less than his $4.05 million salary. For reasons discussed yesterday, it's a long-shot that Todd is actually the decent 3-4 guy he was made out to be last year. As long as his walk rates stay above 4, his peripherals are always going to suggest otherwise. R.J. ends with this:

With their playoff chances nearly flat-lining, the Indians would be wise to take their chances with Pavano on the trade market; just as a NL team without the chips for Roy Halladay or Lee should inquire on Pavano.

No one here is bitter the attention has mostly been focused on Roy Halladay. But, like Matt Holliday, our presumed-savior just a month earlier, there are better options available that better suit our needs for an easier-paid price.

Carl Pavano has a lot of things working for him in a deal like this, despite the obvious injury concerns and uncertain background. He has a sinker, one that, when it's good, it's good (1.43 GB/FB), he has a pitch-to-contact philosophy while still able to strike guys out at a decent clip (6.48 K/9 vs. 1.68 BB/9), and he's in a situation where the Indians would be fine trading him, since he's not under contract next year and won't result in a high draft pick. Since he's Carl Pavano, since he still has that high ERA, the price will certainly be lower than other viable starting pitching options.

Pavano isn't going to save this team and he won't add considerable value as a playoff contender, but he will give us solid starting pitching from the back-end of the rotation, pitching that won't give away the game before it even gets half-way, while expending the bullpen too.

Time to go bargain shopping, Mo.

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Website of the Day: FirstInning.com

Much like Minor League Splits dot com, First Inning is a great resource for tracking Cardinal farmhands daily. Follow the two combined, and you'll begin to understand why Daryl Jones' value is so high, and why Bryan Anderson doesn't get talked about quite as much anymore. All their information is in a pretty readable, user-friendly layout, which is one reason I like it so much.

Random Video of the Day: Ummm... Wait

Chase Sampson, doing all of us college students proud.