Leon Halip - Getty Images
8 months ago: DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 04: A.J. Burnett #34 of the New York Yankees throws to first for the final out of the fifth inning on a ground ball from Delmon Young #21 of the Detroit Tigers during Game Four of the American League Division Series at Comerica Park on October 4, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
The Yankees have had no success in their efforts to trade right-hander A.J. Burnett, who is owed $16.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
The Pirates expressed interest at one point, sources say, and a rival executive speculated that the Braves could pursue Burnett if they trade right-hander Jair Jurrjens; the Braves finished second to the Yankees in the free-agent bidding for Burnett after the 2008 season.
Huh. The Pirates might actually be able to get him if they're willing to take on salary. Burnett's durable, and his xFIP ran more than a run better than his ERA last year, so there might be bargain potential here. He's 35, and his velocity has declined the past couple seasons, but he's still a decent bet to throw 190 or so innings. I wouldn't want the Pirates to give up anything good for him, but I'd certainly like to have him.
Thanks to MLB Daily Dish.
0 recs | 76 comments
How much of Burnett’s salary will the Yankees have to eat before they hit Neal’s internal value?
Thunder - January 4, 2012
That’s the right question.
Charlie Wilmoth - January 4, 2012
Not nearly enough as far as I'm concerned.
Now way the Pirates could afford to pay him $25 million over the next two years. Nor should they.
Schide - January 4, 2012
20 perhaps though..
I’d be okay with paying Burnett $10 million per for the next two seasons. He’ll get his innings, put up 8.2 K/9 last season, and as Charlie mentions he pitched better than his ERA would indicate.
I doubt the Yankees would want much at all considering how underwhelming he has been in pinstripes. A move from the AL East to the NL Central would be a brilliant move for the Pirates and Burnett (If he has any influence).
There are still some holes in the lineup of course, but a rotation of Burnett, Bedard, Morton, Karstens, and JMac actually seems formidable, particularly in the NL Central.
jlk9697 - January 4, 2012
How much would Burnett have to eat
to get back up to that “small offensive lineman” size he got to a few years ago?
SuperBaes - January 7, 2012
Pedro Ciricao.
Or one of McKenry’s legs.
cocktailsfor2 - January 8, 2012
Last title I expected to see
Kosstic518 - January 4, 2012 via mobile
Exactly
but if the cost is like ZVR and Dan Grovatt or something like that, I’d be interested.
McCutchenIsTheTruth - January 4, 2012
I fell on the ground when I read this
I called my yankee fan buddy to joke with him about it and the name I told him I would trade was Dan Grovatt.
Great minds think alike.
Kosstic518 - January 4, 2012 via mobile
cubs are paying almost all of Zambrano's
and got back Volstad..maybe we can do the same and give them dcutch back
patient pirate - January 4, 2012
And In Other News
Pagliaroni Showed Interest in Jennifer Aniston.
I think Pags/Jen is more likely than Bucs/A.J.
Pagliaroni - January 4, 2012
Can we get anything from the Cards
for Jen Langosch?
Garrett122 - January 4, 2012
An AP stringer
TBNL
cocktailsfor2 - January 4, 2012
Please lord, no....
While a cursory review of his stats didn’t show any dramatic bad trends beyond a jump in wild pitches and WHIP, even my casual and occasional following of the Yankees this year identified AJ as the “Starting Pitcher Most Likely to Implode” and not just for the Yankees. I honestly don’t know how he got 190 innings as he seemed to be at 90 pitches through 4 innings, and down by 4-5 runs (all earned) in every start. While I’m sure someone will counter w/some obscure stat intelligible only to a computer and useful only in isolation, AJ last year looked every bit like a declining, over-priced former star.
Trogluddite - January 4, 2012
If you hadda pick one...
AJ or Dan Haren?
.
.
(Please note: If you say Haren, I will hunt you down like the dog that you are and kill you…)
cocktailsfor2 - January 4, 2012
Mighty interesting comment
to make to someone who can hit a man-sized target at 100-meters with a 9mm pistol, but I digress….
and am someone curios as by the two best measures of starting pitcher value (wins and ERA), Haren appears to have a better last 3 years than AJ. His peripherals (WHIP, K/9, K/BB ratio) aren’t bad either and it looks like he’s been more durable the last three years than AJ. So what did I miss? (Note: it the wasn’t the 100-meter target.)
Trogluddite - January 4, 2012
Feh.
Your alleged marksmanship does not frighten me. ;-)
Haren has a room reserved and on standby in hospitals in every MLB city.
cocktailsfor2 - January 4, 2012
Yeah, but he logged
more innings last 3 years than AJB….
Trogluddite - January 4, 2012
you should been in the army,
wait, what.
karreemofwheat - January 4, 2012
of
karreemofwheat - January 4, 2012
have?
(While we’re in the business of correcting and such.)
BlindSquirrel - January 5, 2012
Aha
….now I understand the naked “of” above….
Trogluddite - January 5, 2012
you speak in the queens english
not Pittsburghese.
karreemofwheat - January 6, 2012
Bite Your Tongue
I am born, raised, and have live in Pittsburgh my entire life. I am proud of my proper use of the English language. I f****ing hate all “yinszers” and deaf dumb that play a mean pinball I encounter every day. The constant use of the word “ain’t” and the phrase “stuff like that.” They should all be thrown into the Ohio River which meets the Mississippi River ending in the Gulf of Mexico.
GeorgeQUAD - January 6, 2012
Gulf of Mexico?
Aren’t there enough pollution problems there already?
WTM - January 6, 2012
not according to BP
karreemofwheat - January 6, 2012
Kevin Goldstein has a lot to answer for
WHYG Zane Smith - January 7, 2012
british petroleum
not baseball perspective
karreemofwheat - January 7, 2012
yeah, I was trying to be funny
WHYG Zane Smith - January 7, 2012
I got your joke...
For whatever that’s worth. I’ve seen worse attempts at humor.
Midnight Moose - January 7, 2012
k
karreemofwheat - January 7, 2012
That is very last thing we need
CO_Bucs - January 4, 2012
always depends on the price, but he could improve the team
Glad to see the Bucs are looking at teams with bad contracts trying to unload valuable players. Burnett was one of the guys I think has a good chance to bounce back and have 1 more good year.
Danatural08 - January 4, 2012
He’d be a piece I would like to see if money weren’t an option—although it clearly doesn’t have to be—but I wouldn’t be keen on giving up a guy like ZVR even if it got Burnett at a reduced price. He just seems like the wrong type of player for the Pirates to be looking at.
Kidspud - January 4, 2012
waiiiiiiit a second
this could be a potentially genius move. At this point, AJ Burnett basically has negative value to the yanks based on his contract. If the Bucs took him AND ALL HIS SALARY what if they were able to get them to trade us Jesus Montero for lesser prospects than we would normally have to as part of a big package deal?
I know it seems odd that the yankees would ever do a salary dump, but they could be in over their own heads for once or something.
I trust NH not to do anything massively retarded
Mingy - January 4, 2012
if Burnett was put on waivers, would anyone claim him?
i’d guess no – he has negative value (entirely due to his contract)
Mingy - January 4, 2012
+1 for thinking outside the box, but -1 for that never happening in a million years :)
Charlie Wilmoth - January 4, 2012
Are you sure?
Tim Williams just tweeted that Burnett’s trade value is -17.6 million? Maybe yanks willing to give some to get rid of that
Mingy - January 4, 2012 via mobile
not gonna happen
i think brian cashman cares more about his prospects than tim’s valuation of A.J.
johnnycuff - January 4, 2012
He's probably waiting for a better promotional code to get the Prospect Guide
Cashman’s all about getting spending under control these days.
If The Boss was still alive they would’ve preordered it in hardcover
GTrain - January 5, 2012
""I trust NH not to do anything massively retarded""
Then you’re a very trusting individual, and perhaps the internet is not the best place for you, in your present condition.
Midnight Moose - January 5, 2012
are you going to do something to me at midnight, moose? on the internet?
Mingy - January 5, 2012
It was a joke.
Relax.
Midnight Moose - January 5, 2012
PNC would do him wonders
at least in terms of HRs allowed. his HR/9 over the last 3 years against RH: 1.38, 1.47, 1.81. he’d be going from one of the best parks for right handed hitters to one of the worst. his strikeout and walk numbers have been decent and he’s improved his GB rate over the last couple years.
it’s a gutsy call. i’d do it if the price was right.
johnnycuff - January 4, 2012
AJ gets to submit a list prior to each season of 10 teams he can't be traded to
I would guess we’re on that list if it is based on chances to win. He’s from Arkansas but he’s in the biggest city possible so I can’t imagine he’s trying to get away based on that. However, there’s a chance he’s sick of it and would welcome a trip elsewhere so long as he gets paid.
My guess is he likes pitching in the playoffs every year though.
GTrain - January 4, 2012
Link
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/yu_bet_rangers_win_darvish_bid_FmnRTIxryZxTHUDTEnNluN?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=
GTrain - January 4, 2012
FIgured he'd have a say in it.
I think he’d honestly be kind of foolish to pass up the Pirates. It’s really a no-lose situation for the guy at this point in his career.
If he pitches well and the team does well, then he’s the ace of the staff and considered the “savior” as ludicrous as that sounds.
If he pitches well and the team sucks, then he’ll be shipped to a contender anyways.
As johnnycuff said, he’d be going to a way better ballpark for his skillset, combined with going from the toughest division in baseball to arguably the weakest this year. There are plenty of players that rightfully should reject a trade to Pittsburgh, but AJ Burnett isn’t one of them.
jlk9697 - January 4, 2012
Looking at the photo on this post
I have a theory about fixing his delivery. Does anyone have Searage’s email?
JRoth95 - January 4, 2012
hahahah
that’s a rec
Garrett122 - January 4, 2012
ditto
white angus - January 5, 2012
keeping the ball down
because of the park he plays in , Burnett has had to adjust his delivery to keep the ball down so as not to give up 3+ hr per game. it has worked.
patient pirate - January 4, 2012
No thanks
The Bucs don’t need a declining old pitcher who has had problems dealing with coaches.
Black&GoldTrain - January 4, 2012
sounds good on paper, sort of.
but i have a sick feeling in my stomach of matt morris 2.0
bbautista24 - January 5, 2012
I still have a sick feeling...
of Matt Morris 1.0
bishopmp1 - January 5, 2012
haaaa!
bluecheer - January 5, 2012
I'm all over this
Trade Owens for Burnett. We pay him 12 (6 a year) over 2 and the Yankees pay the rest.
This is better than anything we get in free agency.
I would have done the same thing with Zambrano (picking up 3 million or so).
In the world we live in, this is how we can get players for K-Mart prices..
If Burnett bounces back, we’ve got a huge trade piece that is very movable.
Make this happen.
Tintin049 - January 5, 2012
i would be fine with this. a 6M salary is slightly under market value for what he did each of the last 2 years and would certainly make him easier to trade. i’d rather we get it done for less than owens, but i’d still take it.
johnnycuff - January 5, 2012
Rudy Owens?
Absolutely not.
IAPiratesFan - January 5, 2012
Um...no.
Looking at his stats the last two seasons, he’s clearly on the downside of his career. It’ll just bet a waste of money and time, much like trading for Matt Morris 5 years ago…
IAPiratesFan - January 5, 2012
Mayber he can.....
….find his lost “swag” pitching with less pressure….
Marooned Pirate - January 5, 2012
I would pick up $4mm a year...
and give them an organization minor leaguer.
My brother is a diehard Yankees fan and he would like Burnett run out of town on a rail. I have tried to tell him that, as a Yankees fan, he is inherently irrational, and that Burnett has been better than he appears, to no avail
It would be interesting to look at the quality of opposition Burnett has faced – I have to believe that he would put up better numbers in the NLC. I am not optimistic about our other options. Jackson will be too expensive and I haven’t heard anything new on Chen.
nycbucsfan - January 5, 2012 via mobile
I'd do it without a second thought for the right price
Of course that price would have to be low, low, low.
Burnett & $20MM in salary relief and tell the Yankees to pick one out of a list of, say, Eric Avila, Andrew Lambo, Quincy Latimore, Mel Rojas, Tyler Waldron and Brandon Cumpton.
Raybin - January 5, 2012
Are you down on Rojas?
Or you just figure he’s low enough not to matter much?
I don’t expect him to be a star, but I still have vague expectations that he’ll stick for a few years in Pgh.
JRoth95 - January 5, 2012
Low enough to not matter much
He’ll probably stick in the big leagues somewhere for a while someday, but when you boil it all away, I don’t see anything special there.
Raybin - January 5, 2012
Fair nuff
Mostly I was just surprised to see him in a list with Lambo, whom I’ve completely given up on.
JRoth95 - January 5, 2012
I’m starting to think that I’m the only one that hasn’t given up on Lambo. Maybe NH should start letting the kid toke up again.
pskell02 - January 5, 2012
Glad to know
someone else hasn’t given up on Lambo. A .782 OPS in AAA at age 22 is nothing to give up on, in my opinion. Hopefully he doesn’t flop in AAA this year.
rutang - January 6, 2012
You mean .782 in AA
And you’re right. He’s actually younger than I recalled. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he plays every day in the Indy OF – he may have to start strong to get enough playing time to really recover his stock. I don’t’ think they’ll give him a lot of rope after .549 OPS in 207 PAs.
JRoth95 - January 6, 2012
It's a conundrum
I’m glad Lambo wasn’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, but I’m not glad that nobody thought he was worth a shot.
WTM - January 6, 2012
If the Yankees pick up a considerable amount
To where the Bucs are only paying 3 mil a year, this could work. The Yankees would probably want a some what good prospect for that amount of cash though.
dasox313 - January 6, 2012
Acquiring Burnett has could have huge upside both in performance and value in a later trade.
I’d rather have him at 12 over 2, than Maholm at the same price, Jackson on a 40/4 or Francis, Saunders or some of the other guys were looking at.
Kastens, Mac, Bedard, Burnett and a healthy ground Chuck isn’t a bad rotation.
We’re not mortgaging a future, blocking a hot prospect or hamstringing ourselves financially.
If we could get any production between the three guys playing 1st and 3rd, I’d like our chances with the above rotation.
Tintin049 - January 6, 2012
I kind of agree with this
I worry some about his age, but his xFIPs have been steady, as has his K/BB (for the most part), so there’s no real indication of decline.
For a rock bottom salary (like $3M), I’d be tempted to give up an actually interesting prospect – not a top 6 guy, but someone who’s not an afterthought. But I’d probably rather pay a bit more salary and give up less. We can afford 2/$12 right now.
JRoth95 - January 6, 2012
We need a quality starting pitcher.
patthatt - January 6, 2012
It might work
The Pirates are a few players away from being a decent team. Their starters got out of the gate nicely but seemed to run out of gas. The bullpen had too many injuries. Burnett could be a nice pickup IF the Yankees pay some of that ridiculous salary.
No reason to pay caviar prices for dog food performance. Hopefully, he would deliver like a sturgeon and not a carp,
Mike_E - January 7, 2012
You know you want him!
He’s great at…
Well you know, he’s good at….
He doesn’t struggle with….
Just take him, please!
Brandon C. - January 10, 2012
Sooooooooo...
Does this discussion resume now that the Yankees have Kuroda and Pineda?
King Oskar - January 13, 2012 via Android app
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Bucs Dugout to post a comment.