Free-agent right-hander Carl Pavano suffered a ruptured spleen while shoveling snow out of his driveway in Vermont, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

Pavano, 37, recently suffered a ruptured spleen that will sideline him for 6 to 8 weeks, according to major-league sources.

The injury occurred when slipped and fell while shoveling snow on his driveway in Vermont, one source said.

Pavano -- who did not throw a big-league pitch after June 1 last year because of a shoulder injury -- was having a hard enough time finding work before bursting his blood filter.

Any chance he had of signing a deal with an MLB club before spring training is gone, as clubs are unlikely to make a move on Pavano until he gets a clean bill of health and proves he can take the mound with no residual pain.

The New York Mets and Colorado Rockies were the two clubs showing the legitimate interest in the right-hander before his injury. Pavano himself reached out to the Marlins earlier this winter, but the club was uninterested in bringing him back to Miami.

The right-hander threw well in his first two years (2010-2011) with the Minnesota Twins -- averaging over 220 innings a season -- but, as its done several times before, his arm eventually gave out.

A 14-year major-league veteran, Pavano owns a career 4.39 ERA and 2.57 K/BB in nearly 1,800 innings of work.