 |
|
|
| |
« Rockies Need Pitching | Main | Scherzer Open To Fall Ball »
Burnett Open To Extension
According to John Lott of the National Post, A.J. Burnett is expected to opt out of his contract, but if J.P. Ricciardi offers him a contract extension, Burnett says it "might" change his mind.
As MLBTR pointed out, the Jays are expected to go after Burnett, who could require $15-18MM. With Shawn Marcum needing Tommy John Surgery, the chances they pursue Burnett greatly increases.
Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg seems to think it won't take much to keep Burnett in Toronto, perhaps only another year on the contract.
Burnett, already a perennial injury risk, has thrown over 3400 pitches this year, the most in the majors. In Lotts' piece, should Burnett notch his 19th win in his next start, he would decline to pitch on short rest to go after number 20. Finishing healthy is his goal. With Ben Sheets suffering forearm pain, Burnett could find himself the most appealing free agent starter not named CC.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834515b9a69e2010534b91b8f970b
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Burnett Open To Extension:
Comments
Top Stories
Search MLBTR
MLBTR Features
Recent Posts
Rumors By Team
Monthly Archives
Live Chats
Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST
JP will offer 2/36 on top of the 2/24 remaining to make it a 4/60. That's a fair offer, and would leave the ball in Burnett's court.
Posted by: 92-93 | September 21, 2008 at 11:28 AM
"JP will offer 2/36 on top of the 2/24 remaining to make it a 4/60. That's a fair offer, and would leave the ball in Burnett's court."
Solid plan for the Jays.
At this point even though Burnett could possibly get more on the market, it likely wouldn't be in the form of more years. His durability isn't great and anything more than four years at $15M+ would probably be illogical.
But at 4/60 the Jays would essentially be getting him at market value, and holding together a team thats looked damn good the past couple weeks. Even without Marcum, a rotation including Halladay, Burnett, McGowan and Litsch would still be quite solid. If they could maybe land a good offensive shortstop (Hardy?) or improve the offense they get from first base (Snider or Lind?) I could see that team being really good.
I don't think people really realize what the Jays are building over there. I mean yeah J.P. isn't a great GM but some nice blocks are in place. A core of Wells, Rios, Snider, Lind, Rolen and Hill is quite solid. They have a nice rotation and some young guys like Purcey, Romero and Cecil who should contribute fairly soon.
Posted by: scribbletone | September 21, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Another contract year, another good year from Burnett. What is the expected ROI on Burnett next year if the Jays reup him for essentially 4/60? Nothing personal but I would guess that he goes back to being the pitcher he was, great stuff, mediocre results, unreliable and brittle.
Posted by: pageian | September 21, 2008 at 03:49 PM