The Yankees will listen to offers for starter A.J. Burnett, reports George A. King III of the New York Post, and they're willing to assume $8MM of the $33MM owed to him for 2012-13.
I don't think teams will be lining up to pay Burnett $25MM over two years, however, so the Yankees will probably have to do better to move him. Burnett, 34, posted a 5.15 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.47 HR/9, and 49.2% groundball rate in 190 1/3 innings this year. A change of scenery might help.
It would take more $$$ then that for me to take Burnett in a trade… I just can’t see him being worth $25M in the next two seasons…
But you can have CJ Wilson for the next 6 years and $125mm or Oswalt for the next three and $40mm who’s back is probably going to split in half soon. It’s pick your poison and people need a little perspective when looking at these deals right now. While $8mm is probably a little light, and Cashman assuringly knows this, its a starting point. Burnett and $11mm total is a pretty solid gamble for most teams. And before the “Lowe was only worth $5mm” point comes up for the 10th time, I think Wren sold on him a little too quickly this offseason. It wouldn’t have been much more, but based on the contracts being thrown around, they might have been able to save an extra $2mm-$3mm.
“But you can have CJ Wilson for the next 6 years and $125mm or Oswalt for the next three and $40mm who’s back is probably going to split in half soon.”
Or you could promote just about any schlub from your minor league system, pay him league minimum and STILL get better results than the last two years’ worth of Burnett’s performance.
Seriously, your defense of Burnett is mind-boggling, are you his mom or something?
“Or you could promote just about any schlub from your minor league system, pay him league minimum and STILL get better results than the last two years’ worth of Burnett’s performance.”
Yeah and watch him flame out by the end of April for the lack of endurance. On this one, I’m going to say, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
And you will be maintaining your customary habit of being wrong. I’ll give you one thing, you show remarkable consistency.
If the Yankees kicked in 15-16 Mil, I would risk a Narveson for Burnett deal…..
As a Yankee fan, I sincerely say Good Luck!
This is an opener, I believe, to something a lot more generous on the Yankees’ part. Kei Igawa came off the books at the end of this season, so if you want to think about it this way, you could make the argument that they’ve got room in the budget for AJ to take Igawa’s place in the Trenton rotation, worse-comes-to-worst.
Maybe if they ate at least half the salary someone would want to take a chance. Maybe. Burnett is a problem the Yankees are going to have to live with. Made the bed…don’t try and make someone else sleep in it Cashman.
Eh, I’m not so sure. Think of it this way: say Burnett was a free agent. Based on his last three seasons (I’ll be generous and include his pretty alright 2009), would you offer him two years guaranteed at $8.5MM each?
They’ll need to eat approximately 3/4 of his salary to move him unless Cashman gets another GM exceedingly drunk.
And for the record, I’m not talking mere dancing on the table drunk, I’m talking full fledged trading-Wilson-Ramos-For-Matt-Capps circus drunk.
“would you offer him two years guaranteed at $8.5MM each”
Absofreaklingloutly…You’re nuts to think that he is not worth that much at least in this market when CJ Wilson may get $125mm for the next 6 years and Oswalt may get a 3 year deal and he has significant concerns about his back.
Because those are the ONLY two pitchers in the world who can give you a 4.77 FIP.
People are hesitant to take Wandy Rodriguez for the same amount guaranteed because the Astros won’t eat any salary, yet and he’s at least managed to pitch well enough for the last few years.
I have no doubt YOU would take A.J. Burnett, but that’s only because I would sooner hire the horrid lovechild of Bill Smith and J.P. Ricciardi as my GM than you considering your analytical skills.
Who in the world would take on Burnett’s contract? Cincinnati is the only one I can think of, seeing as they are a team that’s notably known to be looking for pitching, and the only ones I think that are capable of taking on that much salary. Burnett + $ for LHP Billy Bray and a prospect or two?
The Reds have very limited money to work with, there’s no way they’d take on a bad pitcher in Burnett for 12M a year. Plus, Bray is likely to be the Reds closer so he’s not going anywhere.
From a Reds fan absolutely not. Not giving up Bray and a prospect of two for Burnett, although he does intrigue me a little bit.
If I’m Kenny Williams, I call up Cashman and dangle Thorton/Danks for Burnett/Prospects…..if the yankees take Rios 😛
Thornton/Danks/Rios for Gardner/Burnett… who hangs up first? Has to be the Yanks right?
Thorton/Danks/Rios for Burnett/Banuelos/1 other low level prospect
Win/Win for both teams.
Yankees win that one…didnt you hear what KW is looking for in return for danks? In this trade Burnett = Rios but then you are giving away a good reliever and good young starter for an unproven Banuelos who is probably overvalued like Yankee prospects often are.
Zero chance Banuelos is involved in a trade that is not for a clear cut, top of the line ace. I would love some substantial prof about how Yankees prospects are overvalued more than any other type of prospects? Plenty of people doubted guys like Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy and I think they turned out alright. Not to mention people kept calling Cano overrated.
Typical Yankee bashing. Real origional.
Not bashing, just stating the obvious. Jackson isnt great, Hughes was supposed to be a top of the rotation pitcher. I would agree that the Red Sox prospects are overvalued too…Cano was an international signing…
An international signing doesn’t make someone not a prospect…
So all these 30 year olds coming from Japan are prospects? You totally avoided addressing that yankee prospects (many of them) are overvalued…oh and I forgot to add Joba too
Cano was 22 when he started playing for the Yankees, not 30. Joba and Hughes were both considered top of the line starters before they got injured.
I didnt say Cano was 30. Joba was mentioned as part of the Halladay deal and Haren deal back in the day. He was clearly not worth anywhere near there.
So basically the Yankees are telling other teams to use Burnett for $12.5 mil/y for two years.
Yeah, that sounds like a bargain to me.
Never underestimate the ego teams who think they can “fix him”. Worse contracts than his have been moved. I think he’ll finish the contract with the Yankees, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he didn’t.
“Never underestimate the ego teams who think they can “fix him”. Worse contracts than his have been moved.”
Citation needed. Contracts that involved AA don’t count.
Not sure what AA is, but how about VW?
Marlins get Burnett,Reds get Jurrgens,Yankees get Frazier/Petersen or Cousins and so on and Braves get Nunez/Alonso and so on?
So the Yankees get basically nothing, and give up their top utility guy and a starter? Right.
He might have meant the pitcher formally known as Leo Nunez.
Nunez and 33 million for Burnett is basically nothing
They’re also getting out from under $25 million worth of dead weight.
Alright, now you’re just going too far with this. AJ has been perfectly healthy for the last 5 years, three on the Yankees and still has great stuff, regardless of how that has translated with his time spent in pinstripes.
“AJ has been perfectly healthy for the last 5 years”
So was Lackey for 2010 and 2011, I’m still not expecting anyone to want to touch him with a ten foot pole, even before his TJ Surgery. Burnett has been so astonishingly bad the last two years that moving him is addition by subtraction.
And by “perfectly healthy” you mean physically right? Because A.J. for the last 5 years has NOT and I mean NOT been “perfectly healthy” between the ears…
lol
The Yankees are in the ‘low’ area for this rumor:
Nobody would pay Burnett more the $5 million/year.
Absolutely agree, as I’d rather go into the market place, surrender a high draft pick and pay CJ Wilson $125mm for the next 6 years.
I’m seeing an Adam Dunn for AJ Burnett deal… It actually might make sense for both teams….
Because the yankees need another DH….
I can see a Burnett for Soriano deal, both bad contracts, Cubs need pitching, Yankees could use Soriano as DH and as backup to OF/2B, considering he did play 2B back when he was on the Yankees.
They have plenty of DH options first and foremost, Montero. Plus they like to give A-Rod and Jeter days off.
Soriano is also making 1.5 million more a year than Burnett and has an extra year. Zero chance. Next.
Burnett for Zambrano NOW!!
Burnett for Figgins!!!!!
I will rather have Betty White pitch for the Yankees then Burnett.
Zambrano for Burnett
Zito for Burnett straight up.
Zito for Burnett straight up.
Burnett for Lackey