A.J. Burnett

Why would a general manager publicly criticize one of his own players?  Perhaps to fire him up, though that strategy is questionable at best.  Most likely such public criticism is simply frustration boiling over into the media, frustration better kept private.

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi took a few shots at pitcher A.J. Burnett today, essentially saying he regrets the signing and questioning Burnett’s willingness to pitch through pain.  How is that strategically a good move for the baseball team?  It’s not.  It’s emotion spilling over.

The comments seem even more foolish when you consider that the Jays might want to trade Burnett.  Burnett didn’t get along with Florida’s front office, and now he’s going to have problems with Ricciardi and company.  It’s no way to build up trade value.  Why doesn’t Ricciardi point the finger at himself?  Burnett was a known health risk at the time of the signing. 

In the long run, Ricciardi will prove a worse investment for the Blue Jay franchise.  I don’t have a bone to pick with him; I just think he’s done a poor job since his hiring in 2001.   

A.J. Burnett timed his contract year perfectly, reaching career highs with 32 starts and 209 innings in 2005 for the Marlins.  He even would’ve made another start that year, but he ripped the team publicly in September and the Marlins asked him to leave.

The outburst didn’t diminish interest in Burnett during the 2005-06 offseason; reportedly 22 teams expressed interest.  The Cardinals and Nationals submitted offers, but Toronto won with five years and $55MM.  The deal was panned at the time, but the money looks reasonable now that the pitching market has shifted upward.

Burnett’s stay in Toronto over the past 1.5 years has been laden with DL trips.  This time he got a cortisone shot in his sore shoulder and hopes to return shortly before the July 31st trade deadline.  Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail believes J.P. Ricciardi might try to cut ties with Burnett this month, if he can convince some team to gamble on his nasty stuff. 

Here’s the contract situation.  He has about $6MM left this year, and $12MM in ’08.  At that point, Burnett can opt out of the contract.  Prior to 2009 season, Burnett must decide whether he can top a two-year, $24MM deal on the open market.  That will depend mainly on his health in 2008.

Could Ricciardi really convince a GM to gamble on Burnett’s health and also bear the risk of being stuck with him through 2010?  Not likely.  Not even if Burnett comes back and tosses a no-hitter on July 30th.  The money would be tricky – perhaps Ricciardi would agree to shoulder some of the load if Burnett chooses to honor his contract for 2009-10 (for that would imply that he’s not really worth $24MM over that span). 

Billy Beane is definitely Ricciardi’s favorite trading partner, but Beane has his own Burnett to deal with in Rich Harden. 

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.