Marlins rumors: Carl Pavano interested in return to Miami

Free-agent right-hander Carl Pavano is interested in returning to the Miami Marlins, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post:

Caught up earlier this afternoon with pitcher Carl Pavano, who said he’d love to return to the Marlins in 2013.

Pavano’s agent, Dave Pepe, has reached out to the Marlins and plans to talk with them next week in Nashville at baseball’s winter meetings. But whether those talks lead to a contract remains to be seen...

If the Marlins deemed him worthy of taking a risk, he could add much-needed veteran leadership to a young starting rotation.

The 36-year-old Pavano pitched for the Fish for two-plus seasons back when they were still the Florida Marlins, helping lead the club to their second World Series title in 2003.

The right-hander spent the past three-plus seasons with the Minnesota Twins, amassing a 4.02 ERA and eating over 220 innings in 2010 and 2011 before going down with a shoulder injury this past year that limited him to just 11 starts.

The 14-year veteran is close with new Marlins manager Mike Redmond and knows owner Jeffrey Loria from his early days with the Montreal Expos, so he could be a good fit in Miami.