Another Hot Stove fire rages around a tall right-handed pitcher who cut his teeth in Florida, the current smoke rising in the shadow of last winter's flames.

While that proverbial advisory -- "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" -- may not completely apply here, teams elbowing for A.J. Burnett may want to at least take note of Carl Pavano.

Now that Burnett has shown his hand -- he seeks a five-year contract, with $50 million a starting point -- some suitors have dropped out, but not many. Nine teams are still keeping agent Darek Braunecker on speed dial.

Burnett is a free agent plum because he is a big power pitcher with an upside projection. He is 28 and 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, with a 49-50 lifetime record.

Last year at this time, on his way off the same Marlins staff, Pavano was the plum. He was 28, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound pitcher with a lifetime record (57-58) also one game below .500.

The Yankees won a heated battle for his services ... flash forward to now, and Pavano reportedly wants out of New York after a season filled with misery for both him and the team.

Citing friends of the pitcher, the Newark Star-Ledger reports the pitcher was "miserable" with the Yankees and that he would like to be traded this winter.

Pavano has not made any such request to the club, but the paper cites "a baseball official familiar with the Yankees' offseason plans" as saying that the club would listen to offers for Pavano and would consider dealing him if presented with a good enough trade offer.

Spending more time on the disabled list with a sore shoulder last season than on the mound, Pavano was like, well, a Fish out of water. He went 4-6 in 17 starts, the last on June 27.

A "caution" sign for the ongoing seduction of Burnett? Not necessarily, although astrologers would surely disagree. As another eerie coincidence, the two pitchers were born five calendar days apart, Pavano on Jan. 8 and Burnett on Jan. 3.

Red Sox: The hunt to fill the lone remaining empty GM seat is turning to the stretch -- with a few detours still to go. The club formally announced that Jim Beattie and Jim Bowden will get second interviews, and it still plans on interviewing some additional candidates, who have requested the Sox to not have their names released to the media.

Mariners: Kenji Jojima's abrupt return to Japan without making a New York stop bodes well for the Mariners' chances of signing the decorated catcher. He spent most of his abridged stateside visit in Seattle, implying the M's are his only viable Major League alternative to remaining with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Agent Alan Nero tells the Tacoma News-Tribune, "I don't know what he's going to do, but our strategy was to narrow it down to two teams, visit both cities and go home [to Japan] to make a decision."

Braves: Chipper Jones has reportedly "taken one" for the team, restructuring his contract to help fund the attempt to re-sign Rafael Furcal. Under the reported terms of the adjustment, pending a physical, Jones' 2006 salary is reduced $6 million to $11 million, while vesting options for 2007 and 2008 at $15 million are converted into guaranteed $11 million salaries. He would also receive a $4 million signing bonus, payable in January. The Braves deny such an agreement exists.

Yankees: What would it take to get Tom Gordon, who prefers to be a closer elsewhere, to return to the Bronx and keep setting up Mariano Rivera? Apparently, a third year added to the two-year contract the Yankees have already offered. "The ball's in [GM Brian Cashman's] court. He knows where we're at and what we're looking for," agent Rick Thurman told the New York Post.

Orioles: Like others in a market not expected to percolate until the Winter Meetings, the Birds are in the jockeying-for-position stage. Executive vice president Mike Flanagan communicates with such a wide array of free agents -- a wish list topped by B.J. Ryan, Ramon Hernandez and Paul Byrd -- it's easier to rule out those who don't interest the club: Frank Thomas, Bill Mueller, Jeff Weaver, Jacque Jones and Mike Piazza, according to a Baltimore Sun club source.

Citing the same source, the paper also reports a trade with Florida for slugger Carlos Delgado is unlikely because the Orioles aren't interested in taking on Delgado's back-loaded contract or dealing the type of young pitching the Marlins would seek: Hayden Penn, Daniel Cabrera or Erik Bedard.

Tigers: Cross Detroit off Burnett's list. The free-agent right-hander's suitors are down to nine teams but his camp hasn't been in touch with the Tigers since last week. So Dave Dombrowski may turn his attention to another former Marlin, Pavano, or to Javier Vazquez, who has demanded a trade out of Arizona.

Rangers: Burnett's quest for a five-year deal is also diverting the Rangers' attention to another free-agent right-hander, Matt Morris. His agent, Barry Axelrod, tells the Fort-Worth Star Telegram of his client's preliminary interest in making the Rangers one of the teams he will consider.

Royals: The Kansas City Star reports that free agent reliever Jason Grimsley is expected to meet with Royals general manager Allard Baird next week to discuss a potential Minor League contract. Grimsley spent three-plus seasons with Kansas City until his June 2004 trade to the Orioles.

Brewers: They won't splurge, but they'll spend this offseason. In a meeting with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editors on Thursday, club owner Mark Attanasio said that fiscal year 2005's profits of slightly over $5 million will be plowed back into payroll and player development. Back in September, Attanasio had told MLB.com that the business plan could support a $50 million payroll, which would represent a bump of about $8 million over last season.

Padres They still want to hang onto a couple of their free agents. The Padres hope about $1.5 million will retain Pedro Astacio. And Eric Young, whose option for $850,000 was not picked up at a cost of $15,000, could return for something in the $500,000 range.