Josh Beckett Laughs at AJ Burnett and Carl Pavano

Three large contracts. Three power pitchers. Three former Florida Marlins. How did they turn out? Well, the pitcher who has had the most success is pretty easy to figure out, but it's really amazing to see the mediocrity of the other two (and in Pavano's case, mediocrity doesn't even begin to explain it)

In terms of the money ( which the Yankees and Red Sox could care less about and the Blue Jays are mildly concerned about), Burnett's contract is the biggest at $55 million over five years, with Pavano's four year, $39.95 million deal second and Beckett's three year, $30 million extension from the Sox the lowest of the three.

The Red Sox love the contract that Beckett is under, considering he was Cy Young Material in 2007 and led the team to World Series victory number two last year. The Blue Jays obviously hoped for sustained health and a learning curve with Burnett, both of which have not really happened. And the Yankees probably just wish to never hear the name "Pavano" ever mentioned again. Ever. Or anything that even remotely rhymes with it, for that matter.


Starting from the bottom up, Pavano was the biggest bust, by far. Five trips to the DL to go along with five wins in the Pin Stripes between 2005 and 2007. His NYY ERA? 4.77. Can you say monumental bust? You know what I mean. What do you think the chances are that the Yankees will pick up his $13 million option for 2009 when it comes up? What are the Vegas odds on that? Oh. And he has a no-trade clause in there too.

Burnett's deal has turned out better than Pavano's, but that's really not very hard to do, when put into perspective. Burnett has only made four trips to the DL in his Blue Jay career, all of which have been related to right elbow and shoulder soreness and pain. Burnett had 10 wins each in his first two seasons North of the Boarder, but he hasn't eclipsed 170 innings pitched in a season since he had 209 for the Marlins in 2005.

The biggest knock on Burnett has been his lack of progression from a raw, power arm to a pitcher who can pitch, not just throw the ball in the mid-90s and buckle your knees every now and then. Burnett allowed 23 dingers in 2007, the most of his career. Look at Beckett. He brought his long shot numbers down from 36 in 2007 to 17 in 2008.

Is Burnett a nice pitcher? Yes. Is he $13 million a year nice? Probably not.

The Red Sox may have traded away the best power-hitting short stop the league has seen since A-Rod in Hanley Ramirez, but what they received in return was well worth it: another World Series Trophy.

For all of the questions that surrounded Beckett's health and durability, they are no more. The Texan has thrown 200+ innings and started 30 or more games twice since joining the Sox. Unlike (luckily) Burnett, Beckett has grown as a pitcher. He turns his fastball over more, he's improved his curve ball, used it more intelligently and he is probably the one pitcher that every major league team would want in their biggest game of the season.

Beckett's Red Sox credentials: A 20-win season, a second place finish in the 2007 Cy Young race, a World Series ring, a newfound beer gut, and the claim to being the best of the three former Florida Marlins starters in the AL East.