Jon Heyman tweets that the trade of A.J. Burnett from the Yankees to the Pirates now appears “likely.”
#yankees, #pirates still talking aj. deal likely to get done w/ bucs paying $13-15M of $33M, & giving up 2 non-roster guys
The two “non-roster guys” will likely be minor-leaguers who aren’t particularly good prospects. Burnett really isn’t worth more than $13 million for two years to begin with, so it would be foolish for the Pirates to give up anyone good, and I’m confident they won’t.
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Assuming no real prospects are involved, I like this trade for the Pirates, despite the high price tag. The Bucs have money to spend, but they’ve struggled to give it away to higher-tier free agents like Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt. Meanwhile, they have a patchwork rotation that badly needs stability, and as annoying as Burnett was to Yankees fans, he’s probably capable of providing some stability in Pittsburgh, once one accounts for the difference in leagues and ballparks. He’s 35, so it’s possible he could fall off a cliff at any time, but given his stuff and strikeout rate, he seems like a reasonably good bet to pitch 180 or so league-average innings.
For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout For more on the Yankees, there’s Pinstripe Alley.