The Pirates have been spurned by free agent starting pitchers Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt so far this offseason, but it appears the starter they have their eyes on now, the Yankees' A.J. Burnett, is open to taking his career to Pittsburgh if the two teams can complete a widely reported deal to send him there.
His agent had this to say to the New York Daily News' Peter Botte on 35-year old righty's future.
"He is getting ready to go to spring training, whether it’s with the Yankees, Pittsburgh or anyone else," Darek Braunecker said in a brief phone interview. "A.J. understands this is a business and will do what he has to do. He’s healthy and he’s looking forward to pitching for somebody."
Burnett, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Brink reports, has a limited no-trade clause in his contract that lists 10 teams he cannot be traded to, but the Pirates are not on that list, indicating he has stronger reservations about heading to a number of other teams than to the Bucs.
For the latest on the Pirates-Yankees trade talks, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.
