CBS Sports Jon Heyman tweets that the Pirates will not include outfielder/first baseman Garrett Jones in any potential deal for Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. Reports earlier in the day indicated the Yankees coveted the 35-year-old lefty, but that option appears to be off the table at this point.
Meanwhile, the New York Post's Joel Sherman, in a pair of tweets on his account, offers a report on the financials of the negotiations as they stand at this point.
"Yankees telling Pirates absorbing $10M of AJ's $33M isn't enough, won't do deal at that level," Sherman said, adding, "I'm surprised. Thought Yanks would be happy to defray any of Burnett's $$ to move on from him."
Heyman also said the Yankees want an "OK" prospect in a potential trade.
The guess here is that the Pirates' financial obligation would be adjusted based on the quality of prospect they are willing to send to New York, if they're willing to send one at all. Our own Charlie Wilmoth writes over at Bucs Dugout says he'd be OK with giving up a prospect on the level of Brooks Pounders and Aaron Baker (who the Pirates shipped out in the last year for Yamaico Navarro and Derrek Lee, respectively), so it'll be interesting to see what the Pirates' thinking is.
Stay tuned.
For the latest on the Pirates and Yankees' discussions about A.J. Burnett, stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.