Thursday’s Morning Links:

Twins Finally Land Pavano: While it has been rumored all offseason that the Minnesota Twins wanted to resign Carl Pavano, it began to seem less and less likely as the weeks dragged on. While some teams were filling their holes in their rotation with other options, there are still a number of teams that could have used Pavano at the top or middle of their rotation. The Twins though made the most sense, since they didn’t have to give up a compensation pick for him, and had yet to fill his spot in the rotation. A two year $16.5 million deal is pretty reasonable for Pavano, and below what a number of starters were getting on the open market. With resigning Jim Thome and Pavano the last two weeks, the Twins have ensured themselves a team capable of getting to the postseason (though both the Tigers and White Sox improved). If they do make it they now have to find a way to advance past the 1st round.

Brady To Have Surgery on His Foot: Although Tom Brady had played a good part of the season on a fractured foot, it was generally thought that the injury was minor and could heal on its own. Brady himself said on Monday that he didn’t think he would need any offseason surgeries. That apparently changed, as he will now be undergoing a foot surgery to repair the injury. Whether or not it was planned the entire time, or if Brady re-aggravated the injury in the Jets game (might be time to invest in the offensive line) is unclear at this time. The operation doesn’t sound serious, though Brady will probably not be a 100% for mini-camps (if there are mini-camps). He should be back in good time for training camp and the start of next season.