Whoever writes the blurbs for RotoWorld provided a breath of fresh air with their little editorial on the A.J. Burnett signing:
"Since no one else is saying it, we will: this is a very good signing for the Blue Jays. Burnett is risky, but he’s the one pitcher out there capable of being a dominant force for the next several years. If you’re going to take a chance, it’s much better to spend $11 million per year on Burnett than $7 million-$8 million on Paul Byrd or Matt Morris. And, frankly, everyone on TV and the papers expressing shock and disbelief at this deal just hasn’t been paying attention. This doesn’t raise the market for everyone else. Every team in MLB knew that Burnett could and likely would get this type of contract as a free agent. Deal with it. The money is out there, and it’s going to get spent."
I don’t know who the author of this blurb was, but I have a hunch it was executive editor Matthew Pouliot. I find myself agreeing with his thoughts – with the marginal difference in salary between Matt Morris and A.J. Burnett so small, why not pay Burnett $11MM and see if he becomes an ace? We already know what Byrd and Morris are going to do next year.
