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A.J. Burnett

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Burnett, Blue Jays

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The Yankees signed Alfredo Aceves on this date in 2008. The investment paid off, as the Yankees obtained 126 innings of 3.21 ERA baseball from the right-hander before non-tendering him last offseason. He signed with the rival Red Sox about a year ago and excelled in 2011, his debut campaign in Boston. Aceves' arbitration case remains unresolved and his 24-3 career record and 2.93 ERA should be enough to make things interesting should the sides go to a hearing. Here are today’s AL East links…

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Yankees Notes: Burnett, DH Options, Trades

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A few items out of the Bronx…

  • In a conference call with reporters (including Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog) today, GM Brian Cashman said he will look to fill the Yankees' DH spot through a trade, with free agent designated hitters being a "secondary" focus.  Cashman said it's "a possibility" he will try to acquire a hitter using the Yankees' excess pitchers.
  • The Yankees hope to address their DH need by trying to deal A.J. Burnett for salary relief or a "DH type," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  If that isn't possible, Sherman says the next target would be to deal for a young, controllable hitter in exchange for a young starter like Phil Hughes.
  • Joe Pawlikowski of the River Aves Blues blog looks at the pros and cons of trading Burnett, eventually concluding that New York should probably keep him given the difficulties in finding value in a deal.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears the Burnett trade market is non-existent, even to the point of using a "pie in the sky" hashtag to describe the Yankees' chances of moving the veteran right-hander.
  • The Yankees are "in no rush" to address their DH need quickly, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  "Teams in need can almost name their price," Rosenthal writes, given how many free agent DH types (Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, Johnny Damon, etc.) remain on the market.

AL East Links: Montero, Kuroda, Red Sox, Yankees

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Here's the latest from the AL East, starting with an update on two pending moves involving the Yankees…

  • Jesus Montero is dealing with a passport or visa issue at the moment and is unable to travel to Seattle for his physical, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Once that is resolved, the trade sending him and Hector Noesi from the Yankees to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos will be made official.
  • Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record says (on Twitter) that Hiroki Kuroda is still in Japan, so he has yet to take his physical and finalize his one-year contract with the Yankees. Klapisch adds that like Montero, Campos is stuck in Venezuela at the moment.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington indicated to MLB.com's Ian Browne that the team is unlikely to make any big changes to the roster before Spring Training. "If Spring Training were to start tomorrow, we'd feel good about where we are and [we'd be] ready to put the team together," said the GM.
  • Though the Yankees currently have $1-2MM to spend on a designated hitter, they could free up cash by dealing A.J. Burnett, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. Burnett has $33MM remaining on his contract, and it would be a surprise if the Yankees free up more than $10MM via trade.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff suggests Raul Ibanez might be the best DH option for the Yankees, assuming Johnny Damon signs with a team that can offer more plate appearances.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports that former Oriole Brady Anderson was named special assistant to Orioles GM Dan Duquette today. Melewski also lists some changes in the responsibilities handled by other front office employees.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Blue Jays Bid $50MM For Darvish

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The Blue Jays bid over $50MM for Yu Darvish, falling just short of the Rangers' $51.7MM bid, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. Here's the latest on the Blue Jays’ division, starting with a right-hander who spent three up-and-down seasons in Toronto… 

  • Several teams are kicking the tires on acquiring A.J. Burnett, but the Yankees will have to absorb significant salary to make a deal and Burnett can veto trades to ten teams per year, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.
  • The Yankees bid less than $20MM for Darvish, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette explains the team's shrinking pro scouting department to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. "In an effort to make an impact on the franchise, I can argue that the scouts are most valuable to a team at the amateur level,” Duquette said. “They can have a bigger impact on this organization.”
  • Former Rays catcher Toby Hall has decided to retire, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. The 36-year-old spent seven seasons with the Rays and last played in the Major Leagues in 2008. 
  • Dan Hayes of the North County Times hears the Rays are one of the teams that has asked the Padres about Anthony Rizzo (Twitter link). However, the Padres, who have been flooded with interest, aren't matching up that well with the Rays at this point, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • MLB executives expect Gio Gonzalez to be traded relatively soon now that Darvish is no longer available, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Red Sox are among Gonzalez’s suitors.

Yankees Willing To Assume $8MM In Burnett Trade

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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.

AL East Notes: Shields, Burnett, Ortiz, Blue Jays

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As the Orioles continue to look for a new general manager, let's see what's happening elsewhere in the American League East…

  • The Rays "seem dead-set against trading James Shields," according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler (Twitter link).  Knobler said Tampa Bay might be more inclined to deal Jeremy Hellickson than Shields, though he notes it's "very unlikely" that either pitcher is traded.  The Rays exercised Shields' $7.5MM option for 2012 on Monday.
  • Brian Cashman said the Yankees aren't looking to deal A.J. Burnett, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  Cashman said yesterday that "if [Burnett] is with us, he’s in the rotation," but said today that he made "a bad choice of words."
  • David Ortiz tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that the Red Sox didn't make him an offer during the team's five-day exclusive negotiating window with the free agent slugger.  While no offer was made, GM Ben Cherington has spoken to Ortiz's representatives since the season ended.
  • In a conference call with reporters (including MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm), Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said the team wasn't able to counter John McDonald's new two-year contract with the D'Backs due to the Jays' unclear situation at second base and with the utility spot.  McDonald, a long-time fan favorite in Toronto, was expected to rejoin the Jays after being traded to Arizona last summer, but Anthopoulos said there were no hard feelings about McDonald's decision.
  • Anthopoulos noted that the Jays staff gave Tony LaCava a standing ovation when the assistant GM returned to work yesterday.  LaCava turned down the Orioles' offer of their general manager's position in order to stay in Toronto.
  • If the Yankees re-sign Freddy Garcia, Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York thinks Brian Cashman may "call it a winter" in regards to acquiring starting pitching.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Oswalt, Sabathia

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Red Sox GM Ben Cherington confirmed to reporters that the Red Sox and Cubs have obtained a one-week extension to work out compensation for former Boston GM Theo Epstein. Here are some more notes from the division, starting with the Red Sox…

New York Notes: Chavez, Reyes, Burnett

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Hurricane Irene washed out Saturday's contests for both New York clubs, and today's Braves/Mets game has been postponed as well. Weather permitting though, the Yankees and Orioles will play two, with Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova looking to help the Yanks make up ground on the Red Sox in the AL East. Before they get underway, let's check out the latest from Queens and the Bronx….

Quick Hits: Hall, Young, Feliz, Burnett, Buck

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Links for Wednesday night..

  • Longtime major leaguer Juan Castro told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he never considered retirement at any point this winter.  The 38-year-old is trying to hook on with the Dodgers in 2011 for what would be his fourth stint with the club.
  • Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told versatile Astros veteran Bill Hall that the club was "this close" to signing him, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
  • A source close to the Rockies told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the Rangers sought a "very good player" for Michael Young, but didn't elaborate on who that player might be.
  • Some in the Rangers front office feel that Neftali Feliz could develop into the type of starter that would otherwise cost a bundle in a trade, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
  • Yankees fans have been hard on A.J. Burnett, who is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013.  However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Burnett's career numbers are not all that different from Boston's Josh Beckett.
  • Outfielder Travis Buck views his arrival in the Indians locker room as a fresh start, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Steinbrenner On Jeter, Luxury Tax, Burnett, Soriano

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It doesn't take much to coax Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner into giving his thoughts on the state of the franchise and baseball as a whole.  The outspoken part-owner sounded off on a number of topics to reporters today, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com..

  • Steinbrenner seems worried about the team's drive to win, saying "I think maybe they celebrated a little bit too much last year," the co-chairman said. "Some of the players are too busy building mansions and other things and not concentrating on winning."  Shortstop Derek Jeter built a mansion in Florida during the offseason after negotiating a new three-year, $51MM deal.  When asked if the comment was directed at the team captain, Steinbrenner insisted that he wasn't singling anybody out.
  • The Yankees' 2010 payments as a result of luxury tax and revenue sharing programs are expected to total about $130 million, Steinbrenner said.  He continued to say that the Yankees are allied with other major market teams on the issue and believes that Commissioner Bud Selig wants to "correct it in some way."  Hoch noted that in a recent interview on Boston's 98.5 the Sports Hub, the commish said that he is happy with the system as it stands today.
  • Steinbrenner says that pitcher A.J. Burnett seems "very hungry" for a bounce-back season.  Last year, Burnett turned in a 5.26 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.  The 34-year-old right-hander is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013.
  • Skipper Joe Girardi, closer Mariano Rivera and several hitters were consulted on the idea of signing Rafael Soriano, Steinbrenner said.  Last week, Rivera said that he had not been consulted about the signing but was happy to have the reliever aboard.
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