9:50pm: Talks were ongoing as of Friday evening, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and do not include Garrett Jones. Brink adds that Bucs are more receptive to taking on salary than moving a player or prospect.
4:14pm: The Yankees are telling the Pirates that absorbing $10MM isn't enough, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
3:47pm: The Pirates appear to be willing to absorb $10MM in a trade, Heyman tweets. The Yankees have been pushing for an even split and seek an OK prospect in return. Heyman tweets that the chances of a deal remain "decent." The clubs are talking, but aren't close to a deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Pirates are also looking at other starters.
12:34pm: There seems to be a fair amount of optimism about a deal, Heyman tweets.
10:28am: The Pirates haven't yet offered to pay $10MM of the $33MM remaining on Burnett's contract, Heyman tweets.
7:57am: The Yankees and Pirates continue discussing a possible A.J. Burnett trade, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Yankees are willing to pay a substantial portion of the $33MM remaining on the right-hander’s contract through 2013, but the teams are still a few million apart. The Yankees first asked the Pirates to pay well over $11MM, Heyman writes.
The Yankees want to create payroll room for a designated hitter and appear to be leaning toward Raul Ibanez, perhaps because they prefer his ability to play the outfield. Johnny Damon and Eric Chavez also intrigue the Yankees as possible free agent additions, according to Heyman. The Pirates rejected the Yankees’ request for Garrett Jones, Heyman writes.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Burnett’s no-trade list includes all of the teams on the West Coast (Twitter links). Sherman expects the Yankees to trade Burnett before Spring Training and suggests the team is waiting to see if the Pirates or another club offers to absorb more money.
Pirates are downright sad. I don’t mind if AJ stays or goes. But the Pirates doing this thinking they will do anything in 2012 & 2013 is laughable
Go on “take the money and run”…
This just magnifies a glaring problem with baseball that the powers that be refuse to acknowledge! Teams like the Yankees can pay a guy like Burnett, 25 million to go away, while a small market team like the Pirates, needs that much money of his salary paid in order to make the deal worth it. It’s really sad from both sides. I long for the day when baseball will wise up and get a salary cap with both a ceiling and a floor.
The cancer that is AJ Burnett will not be on the Yankees this year. If they’re willing to absorb that much money then they are highly motivated to get rid of him. He can only improve being in the NL and out of the AL East. He’s an innings eater, and clearly no legitimate starting pitcher is willing to sign-up with the Pirates, so why not.
why is your team trying to throw a cancer to someone else’s lap?
Ill Go Tim Alderson for AJ Burnett thats about it, While the Yankees pick up the whole contract
My friend I can tell by your moniker you’re a dreamer and eternal optimist.
Nah I’m a realist, with a sarcastic twist… What do you really think your boy Burnett is worth with a 5 + era the last two seasons n owed over 30 million?? You sir overvalue your beloved Yankees.
…and talks between the 2 teams continue. Regardless of what ultimately happens at this point that’s a good sign for the Yankees and Yankees fans.
BTW, the Yankees will probably wind up eating $24 or $25MM of the $33MM and they will be better off for it. At least that’s my opinion.
I think the Yankees learned their lesson about signing non-elite pitchers to huge contracts. This was a major driving force behind the Pineda/Montero deal. It’s one thing if a pitcher with a high ceiling/dominant stuff is cheap, if he fails there will always be another team to take a chance on him – but if he is expensive (e.g. Burnett), you’re screwed.
I so wish the red sox would learn that lesson
I wonder if Raul was ever signed because of his defense before…
Isn’t the entire reason for trading Burnett is the money he is owed? How can you expect anything of value in return unless you eat the majority of the contract?
Please let this go through…Burnett is way too inconsistent to fit in the Yankees’ plans. Presuming that Michael Pineda continues to progress, this would be great news for the Yanks…and Burnett could do better outside the AL East.
A.J. needs a fresh start. New York stage is too much for him. Under all that scrutiny and rightfully so considering the huge contract. He would become super relaxed playing in Pittsburgh and should excel there.
No idea what the actual WAR or any other relevant stats say but getting rid of AJ has to guarantee the Yanks oneor two extra wins this year v. the Sox and Toronto.
his war in 2010 was -.5 and ’11, 1.1. is this pitcher worth $4 million per year?
Burnett is a #1 starter on almost any team, why should the Yanks pay so much of his contract.
I think his 5.15 era might have something to do with it.
yankees need to pay at least $18 million for the trade to be worth for the bucs.
Yeah and Jeff Mathis is one of the best hitters in the game.
I defy you to name me ONE team that AJ Burnett is the undisputed #1 starter on.
Orioles
Long Island Ducks
Alright, you got me on that one. I really should have specified “Major League Baseball” so as to fully eliminate any possible options.
He’s got #1 potential but #4/5 execution.
Lol and Lackey is a number 2… C’mon pal have some objectivity.
a.j. burnett
john lackey
barry zito
carlos zambrano
derek lowe
the contract aces
don’t forget the mike hampton contract, that was a true showing that he was such an ace
he’s in the bullpen with gil meche
Kevin Brown the closer?
Come on now. That just isn’t true. You can most likely count the teams that would put him in the top 2-3 on one hand.
im gonna miss the crazy SOB. He pitched better than most people give him credit for. He had one atrocious month, which ballooned his ERA. He was consitently around a low 4.00 ERA the whole year. He helped win us a WS, and I’ll never forget about that. hope he succeeds anywhere he goes
2.8, -0.5 and 1.1 are his war last three years. he has been bad!
idc what WAR says, i saw every game he pitched last year, he wasnt as bad as people think
some random fan’s internet testimony > objective data
he was giving the Yankees 6-7 innings of 2-4 run ball almost every night. his ERA was low 4.00 throughout the year until that atrocious month of august. Yeah hes no all star, but he was solid, hes not abysmal like most people think.
your eyes can be very deceiving.
Outside NY, he will.
Burnett would also benefit from not being in the NYY fishbowl (and the expectations that come with it). If he pitched near 165 innings for the Pirates (possible in the NL), over 27 or 28 starts, with an ERA of 4.2 or so (seems possible, given the league difference), he’d be a valuable addition to the Pirates rotation. But on the NYY, that same pitching effort would likely result in 154 innings and a 5+ ERA (which would make it hard for Girardi to keep him in the NYY rotation).
It would be worth it to the Yanks for the roster and financial flexibility. It would definitely be worth it to the Bucs, who need a veteran fairly reliable starter. And most of all it would be worth it to Burnett, who just needs to get out of NY: it doesn’t say anything bad about him that he hasn’t pitched well there, dealing with the NY media is not for everyone. It would not be worth it to give up a Garrett Jones, but in the end I think, and I hope, that this gets done.
I agree – people seem to look at the CURRENT contract the Yankees have with this deal and not the amount of money the Yankees would be covering (instead of the amount the pirates would be paying).
Pirates would be better off saving that 10 mill
According to Fangraphs WAR, AJ has been worth $5.6 and 6.7 mil the past two years, so he’s probably worth at least paying $10 mil of his remaining contract. Less than that I think the Yanks just keep him.
Lets get this trade done. Yankees need to get rid of all the pollution.
Really an update to tell us what the Pirates didnt offer. Come on. Next update will say “The Pirates didn’t offer to take 9million.” and then 3 hours later “The Pirates didn’t offer to take AJ without any cash”
I think you have that in reverse. And it at least helps us narrow down what the Pirates are looking for. Doesn’t mean they won’t eventually accept Burnett at $10 million, but it gives you an idea of where they’re currently sitting and how potentially far/close the two teams are to negotiating a deal. Would you rather just hear nothing? I’d like to believe not.
Edwin Jackson: 199.2 IP, 3.73 xFIP, 1.437 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 6.7 SO/9, $11MM/year
AJ Burnett: 190.1 IP, 3.86 xFIP, 1.434 WHIP, 3.9 BB/9, 8.2 SO/9, $4MM/year
Seems like a good gamble for the Pirates to take. If they were willing to give Edwin Jackson $30MM, this looks like a steal.
Yankees want them to pay 5 million per year. So……off a million on your salaries, but definitely a worthwhile post 🙂
and yet the yankees are trying to get rid of him. AJ is a Yankee mistake and soon to be Pittsburgh mistake
Certainly would be a mistake to pay him $16MM a year. That won’t be an issue for the Pirates.
oh snap!!!
i bet you that the redsox make more profit from their tv deal alone than the pirates make in a 3 year period on EVERYTHING.
trade burnett to cubs for soriano and the cub pitch in 20 million
burnett to cubs for soriano and 20 million dollars
Makes no sense. Soriano is in steep decline and signed for 3 more years. No use for him from a production standpoint and why pay more for him to clog up a roster spot.
In 2001 Ichiro won the ROY and MVP. Has anyone else ever done that?
I’m not sure why Pit would want AJ. As a Yankee fan, I think would be great for the 25 man roster to move him. That being said, what about trading a bad contract for a bad contract? Instead of paying him to play on another team, trade him even up for a guy like Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Lee? I feel that trading him to the cubs might actually work well for both teams. Yes both teams would have a bloated salary for the player but the Yanks could use the bat for the DH/OF and the Cubs or Huston could use an experience starter
please realize that 1. the pirates do own there stadium as stated by the city of Pittsburgh 2. the pirates need another pitcher and burnett is an excellent person to do that with. there starters will consist of: Erik Bedard, AJ Burnett, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, and Charlie Morton. That sets for a pretty good pitching core and puts the pirates in better position to win.
Don’t forget McDonald.
What I find interesting is that some folks seem to think the Pirates won’t be really competitive this year or next. Same has been said about the Astros, Orioles, Royals, etc. Probably true. However, the great thing about baseball is that you never know. You never know what team will surprise one year. It happens. That is one of my favorite aspects of the game…there is that unknown beauty that comes along every year, and it is intriguing, fascinating and marvelous.
Wait a minute. The YANKEE$ have payroll concerns?? And they’re looking to the PIRATES for help?? My eyes must be going bad.
I just CANNOT picture AJ in a Pirates uniform. lol
NYY would be wise to do this deal if PIT is willing to eat $10 MM………………….
yeah i just saw this and i dont understand why the Yankees think they can get more than 10 mill in his deal. Theyre not going to get 1/2 of it taken. They should just accept it now
Seems to me that we have a buyers market. Pittsburgh is better with Burnett than without, but not likely to make a playoff run either way. They really don’t need to eat too much in the way of salary or give up too much in the way of a prospect.
Yankees want a DH, but have to clear salary to get one. $5 million salary room would be enough to get Ibanez. Pirates know this. Why should they substantially increase the amount they are willing to pay? If they do increase, why would they be willing to give up any real prospect?
Sure, Yankees could start the season with Burnett in the rotation, and a lesser DH in the lineup. The Pirates could go with their current starting five. The Yankees are favored to win the AL East either way, and it would take alot more than Burnett to move Pittsburgh from the 4 spot in the NL Central.
Yankees aren’t looking to just win the AL East, though. They need the Pirates far more than Pittsburgh needs Burnett. Unless another team can be duped into taking his salary, Pittsburgh should hold firm. For that matter, if you’re Pittsburgh – offer Ibanez the $5 million the Yankees won’t accept for Burnett. That should speed up the trade negotiations and reduce the Yankees’ demands.
And then Ibanez accepts the Pirates’ offer and they are screwed out of $5M.
Cashman save your 10mil don’t be dumb!
“4:14pm: The Yankees are telling the Pirates that absorbing $10MM isn’t enough, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.” “4:15pm Yankee Fans tweet Yankees and tell them, it’s enough, take the money and run.”
That’s worth like 50 trillion dollars in team moral currency. Take it and run.
the yankees are getting greedy
Just give them the 10. If I were the Pirates, I would even have 2nd thoughts of eating 5 million…
JUST DO IT!
He wants the Pirates to take on 1/2 the salary AND give something good back?? If you don’t want to trade him, just say so.
If I’m the Pirates I’d eat 4 mil a year. If Cash wants them to eat more, start adding prospects. AJ at $8 mil a year and Banuelos?? Sold…
Banuelos? Very funny…
As a die hard Red Sox fan it’s funny to see when the Yankees fail. As I wrote earlier, the Yankees have (capital H) to do this deal is Pittsburgh is willing to absorb 10MM. What are they holding out for? 15? Because I think Pitt is pulling $$ out of areas they didn’t know they didn’t have it in (not to take anything away fom the Pirates) to do 10MM! I’m going to laugh when the Pirates back off this deal, thus realizing they almost made a horrible horrible mistake.
As a Yankee fan I loved it when the Sox failed last fall & continued to fail this winter…its a beautiful thing.
At least the Yankees have a reasonable rotation.
Fail? The Yankees, on paper, have a great rotation with a surplus of arms. They’re looking to remove a bad contract and free up some space for a dh on the payroll. The Yankees don’t have to do anything. They could just as easily slot Burnett into the 5th starter roll if they so felt it. It’s not like they’re trying to deal 6 years and 120 million that’s committed to a rapidly declining injured left fielder…
Even though Burnett has struggled big time in NY the last couple seasons the guy still has above average stuff. Its not like he is helpless like barry zito and throws a high school fastball like zito does, he can still throw heat and has a nice breaking ball. I think a change of scenary and a league change will do wonders for him.
Burnett still has good stuff, and won a playoff game last year. He acually pitched better than CC in the playoffs. This is a good trade for both teams, AJ will give the Bucs innings and will pitch better in the NL.
even though im glad the tigers beat the yankees in the playoffs. That series was a huge joke. Rain every single game, our aces out, huge rain delays, canceled games. I would have loved to see that series playout without the rain.
True but hey at least it came down to the end and the decisive game was only a 1 run game. Real baseball fans would take that all the time.
oh yeah, dont get me wrong, it was amazing. but the rain really ruined things. Game 5 put me through heart attacks, strokes, shock, everything.
wow and you survived?! What’s your secret? but in all seriousness that rain just reminded me of every rainout last year, I felt like it rained every time the Yankees had a home game or at least threatened to. I don’t know if that happened to your Tigers throughout the season, but it gets frustrating.
Well everyone thought april was going to be pretty bad. If I remember right we had a ton of april home games, and not one rain out or delay. Then may hits and the clouds opened up and the gods poured upon us. I think we have a stretch of 20 games in a row without a break or something like that. Im hoping this year will be better, this very mild winter has me scared of whats in store for us.
Burnett has shown himself to be an under-performing, overpaid, clubhouse headache in his time with the Yanks. There is little doubt that Burnett will not pitch another inning for this team. Why would any rational general manager want to pay more than $5 million annually for New York’s biggest nightmare?
First of all, most free agents are overpaid. AJ has pitched in the AL East which is much tougher than the NL Central, and he has pitched 12 years in the majors with a lifetime record 121-111 record with a 4.10 ERA. AJ still has good stuff, the problem is he has dropped off the last 2 years. There have been many good pitchers that haven’t been able to pitch in NY. I would take a chance on him if I’m the Bucs, you have nothing to lose.
For a team payroll like the Pirates, the asking price of over 5 million annually is unlike “nothing to lose”. If Burnett cannot pitch for a team with a formidable line-up in New York, how can you expect him to win in Pittsburgh? As for the NL central, didn’t the NL Central’s second place team win the World Series? I seem to remember reading that in one game last year, Burnett nearly blew a 17 run lead and was a clubhouse cancer/managerial nightmare for most of the season. It sounds like another Matt Morris deal for Pittsburgh…. too much salary for a pitcher who last pitched well five years ago.
By the way AJ also one a playoff game last year, and out pitched CC in the playoffs. His overall track record is acually better than Don Larsen, plus AJ will give you 190-200 innings. The Bucs need another starter and no one seems to want to go their.
If the Yankees expect Pittsburgh to take on more salary, they better throw in a prospect. Burnett’s not that great, so for the Pirates, giving up a decent player and paying Burnett over about 5 mill a year isn’t really worth it.
It would be smart for the pirates to trade Jones to the Yankees for Burnett. Burnett’s numbers will improve in the NL and if the Yankees eat most of his salary it would be a great move for the Pirates.