Burnett reaches agreement with Yanks

LAS VEGAS -- Already the big newsmakers of the day, the Yankees kept the buzz flowing late Wednesday, following up their early slam dunk by reportedly discussing a five-year contract with A.J. Burnett.

New York stole headlines in the overnight hours after securing the services of CC Sabathia, the market's top free-agent pitcher and the identified No. 1 target of general manager Brian Cashman.

Doing so did not come cheaply, with a reported pact weighing in at seven years and $161 million, but the Yankees intended all along to make Sabathia the best-paid pitcher in the game's history.

With Cashman back at the Bellagio hotel after an impromptu late-night getaway to Sabathia's estate in Vallejo, Calif., on Tuesday at the hurler's invitation, the Yankees resumed business as they continue to attempt to assemble an upgraded pitching rotation.

"Believe me, I'd like to get everything we need done taken care of, and that way feel good about our team moving forward," Cashman said. "Unfortunately, we have to go through a lot of steps, a lot of failures and conversations to get to that point."

That pursuit has apparently led them first to Burnett, who opted out of his contract with the Blue Jays this year, but just may hang around the American League East if the Yankees step to the dish as expected. ESPN.com first reported that the Yankees had pushed their long-awaited proposal to Burnett.

With agent Darek Braunecker reportedly seeking a five-year contract in the range of the $91.5 million that Carlos Zambrano secured from the Cubs, Burnett may have found his match in one of the three clubs pursuing him most fervently.

The Yankees had been reluctant to guarantee a fifth year for Burnett, but their level of interest in the right-hander has been well known. The Braves and Red Sox also remain engaged, which may have spurred the Yankees on in preparing an offer that could fall within the $80-85 million range.

"We continue our dialogue and see if things wind up coming into realistic opportunity," Cashman said, speaking of the pitching market as a whole. "So far, that hasn't been the case."

Burnett, who will turn 32 in January, is considered along with Derek Lowe -- another target of the Yankees -- among the top right-handed starters on the market. Atlanta reportedly tendered Burnett an offer of four years and $60 million with an attainable fifth year, which Yankees sources said could be surpassed.



• Sabathia to accept Yankees' offer
• Bauman: CC is Yanks' big splash
• Sox-Yanks just got more intense
• Brewers' offer more than reported
• Tribe should see CC early
• Signing draws 29 clubs' attention
• Other teams must be aggressive
• CC represents next Yankees' era
• Cashman's diligence pays off
• Jeter's contact with Sabathia a factor
• Yankees mean business with deal
• CC won't be last of Yanks' moves
• Brewers must move on without CC
• Dodgers never seriously courted CC
• Angels backed out early
• Giants move on with CC off market
• White Sox happy Central is CC-free
• Celebrate CC's arrival in style
• Fantasy: Sabathia to buck trend
• Jeter weighs in on new teammate
• Harold Reynolds on CC's future
• Bryan Hoch discusses signing
• Jim Duquette on signing
• Sample, Micucci break down deal

Braunecker said that he could not discuss offers, and noted earlier in the week that he did not travel to Las Vegas with the intention of having Burnett sign by the time clubs check out of the Bellagio on Thursday.

But Sabathia's signing may have altered the landscape. With the Yankees' addition of Sabathia, Burnett could find a situation more amenable to his mind-set, having enjoyed being the No. 2 starter on a Blue Jays staff paced by Roy Halladay.

With larger-than-life media attention expected for Sabathia in New York, Burnett could have an easier time assimilating into Joe Girardi's clubhouse than he might have if Sabathia had signed elsewhere.

There are few flashier options than Burnett, who set career highs in wins and innings pitched in 2008, going 18-10 with a 4.41 ERA in 221 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays. But his career has been marred by injuries, and there are naturally no guarantees that Burnett would avoid the disabled list in New York.

The Yankees have stated that they hope to sign three free-agent starters, and knocking Sabathia off their list is a huge first step. He would join Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain as the Yankees' guaranteed rotation members, leaving two more vacancies to fill.

Cashman said that he had "nothing to report" concerning Andy Pettitte, who drew interest as the Yankees' fourth or fifth starter, and a trip to the podium in the media work room appears unlikely. But the Yankees could still make an offer to an option like Ben Sheets by the time the Winter Meetings conclude.

"I'm more than ready to move if common ground is found," Cashman said. "That's been difficult."

Candidates like Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves and Ian Kennedy could contend for spots if more arms are not obtained, but may be more likely to begin the year at Triple-A.

With mega-dollars already committed to chasing Sabathia and other pitchers, it continues to appear that the Yankees will not spend big on a hitter. Cashman has not made an offer to first baseman Mark Teixeira, despite meeting with him last week in Maryland.

The Yankees are also not hurrying to line up for outfielder Manny Ramirez, despite a SI.com note that said Hank Steinbrenner is interested in adding the dreadlocked outfielder to the club's lineup. Quizzed on the topic of Ramirez, Cashman struck an intentionally vague chord.

"I'm open to anything that makes us better and fits the overall program," Cashman said. "There's players on the board that fit that program and make us better, and I'm all for it."

12/12/08 7:15 PM EST
Burnett reaches agreement with Yanks
Contract with free-agent right-hander reportedly worth $82.5 million

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- A.J. Burnett entered the free-agent market with a "buyer beware" tag because of past injury problems, and exited it counting the riches the Yankees will provide him over the course of the next five years.

Furthering their aggressive rotation reconstruction process, the Yankees have won the bidding for Burnett. Major League Baseball sources confirmed late Friday afternoon that the 31-year-old right-hander has agreed to a reported five-year, $82.5 million deal. The Yankees have not confirmed an agreement has been reached.

Before the deal becomes official, Burnett will need to pass a physical and the two parties will have to iron out some contract terms.

While luring both CC Sabathia and Burnett to The Bronx in a span of three days, the Yankees have significantly upgraded their starting rotation with a pair of hurlers whom many considered to be the elite options of the 2008 free agent starter class. They've done so at a combined cost of more than $240 million if reported terms are accurate.

After landing Sabathia on Wednesday, the Yankees began their aggressive pursuit of Burnett and immediately erased the belief that the Braves would eventually win the bidding for the 31-year-old veteran hurler, who notched a career-high 18 wins and led the American League with 231 strikeouts this past season.

While the rotation reconstruction process has gone smoothly for the Yankees, the same can't be said for the Braves, who provided Burnett with a reported five-year, $80 million offer.

"All I will say is that we made a very competitive offer," said Braves general manager Frank Wren, while only confirming that Burnett wouldn't be coming to Atlanta. "I would say geography was a primary factor."

When Wren returned from the Winter Meetings late Thursday night, Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, informed him that Burnett was having difficulty with his decision and needed more time.

One thing the Braves couldn't offer was a geographical overhaul that might have made Atlanta more appealing to Burnett's wife, Karen, who chooses not to fly.

Now she'll have the opportunity to take a three-hour train ride from their Baltimore-area home to see her husband in New York.

"We knew we couldn't move Maryland closer to Atlanta," Wren said. "We were swimming upstream all along."

Over the course of the past two months, the Braves have proven unsuccessful in their determined efforts to bring Jake Peavy and Burnett to Atlanta to serve as their ace. They now find themselves looking at a thinner free-agent market that is now highlighted by Derek Lowe, who may find himself as Yankees general manager Brian Cashman's next primary target.

Motivated by the fact that his club missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993, Cashman has cornered the top available free-agent starters. With Sabathia, he gained the top prize, and with Burnett he appears to have landed what might be the most profitable gamble.

During his eight full Major League seasons, Burnett has completed 200 innings just three times, totaled as many as 30 starts just twice and made 10 trips to the disabled list.

Whenever money has been on the horizon, Burnett has found a way to be both healthy and productive. Of the three seasons during which Burnett completed 200 innings, one preceded his first arbitration-eligible season and the other two came when he had an opportunity to test the free-agent market during the ensuing offseason.

Still with electric stuff that some have compared to that of John Smoltz during his younger days, Burnett drew tremendous interest from both the Yankees and Braves, ironically a pair of teams that just said goodbye to Carl Pavano and Mike Hampton, a pair of pitchers who have had their share of injury problems.

Braunecker says that his client is as healthy as he's been since undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in 2003. Statistically, it's currently hard to argue with this assessment.

While making a career-high 34 starts for the Blue Jays this past season, Burnett went 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA. Fueling the interest that he gained this offseason was the fact that he went 9-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 113 strikeouts in his 15 starts after the All-Star break.

"A.J. Burnett has great stuff," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said recently. "I think he's matured a lot as a pitcher, as well. He's learned to control the running game a lot better. He attacks hitters and gets hitters out quickly, throws a lot of strikes, fields his position. I think he's much more complete as a pitcher than he was a couple of years ago."

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I officially hate my life




Really?!! Why cant they win a legit title, without buying all the player and just putting em on a field and goign all the way

gdennis59 wrote:

I officially hate my life




Really?!! Why cant they win a legit title, without buying all the player and just putting em on a field and goign all the way

Yankees are trying to buy a WS title

gdennis59 wrote:

I officially hate my life




Really?!! Why cant they win a legit title, without buying all the player and just putting em on a field and goign all the way

Hang in there G

Things will get better

Where's the damn salary cap

No wonder I don't like sports as much as I did a few years ago.

The NHL has all those god-awful rules. Fuck it, let's go straight to shootouts. That's all the moron fans want anyways. Skip the rest of the game. Have a few fights to decide who shoots first.

The NBA is a bunch of thugs.

They NFL is the same thing and ESPN swears it's the greatest thing man has ever done...they run NFL Live 365 days a year

MLB has the Yankees and to an ever-so-lesser extent the Red Sox, Mets, and a few others. Fuck everyone else, nobody cares about them anyways and it's a disgrace to the "real" teams when anyone else is successful.

Im right there with ya, Cat.

catbox_9 wrote:

Where's the damn salary cap

No wonder I don't like sports as much as I did a few years ago.

The NHL has all those god-awful rules. Fuck it, let's go straight to shootouts. That's all the moron fans want anyways. Skip the rest of the game. Have a few fights to decide who shoots first.

The NBA is a bunch of thugs.

They NFL is the same thing and ESPN swears it's the greatest thing man has ever done...they run NFL Live 365 days a year

MLB has the Yankees and to an ever-so-lesser extent the Red Sox, Mets, and a few others. Fuck everyone else, nobody cares about them anyways and it's a disgrace to the "real" teams when anyone else is successful.

I hate shootouts in the NHL; Rather see games end in ties; Miss seeing fighting; don't like the new rules designed to increase scoring; Games on Versus instead of ESPN; Most teams play in modern arenas; except for Pittsburgh; who will be playing in a new arena soon; Too many Europeans and Russians in the league



NFL: I hate those black pants the refs wear; Lions are 0-14; OT is stupid; College OT isn't much better; Except for Lambeau Field and Soldier Field; most stadiums have been built in the last 10 years; No team in Los Angeles; And no G by the goaline in any stadium



NBA Too many overpaid thugs; shorts are too baggy; All the old arenas are gone; Too much hip hop influence; not enough white guys playing


MLB; The spending distance between the Yankees and other teams continue to grow; Players don't wear stirup socks; Umps dress like softball umps; Complete Games are almost non existent; Ticket prices keep getting higher; MLB on FOX; No local TV in most markets due to FSN; TBS and ESPN having exclusive rights in many markets; Not enough blacks playing the game

Other sports; [ except the NFL going the same way]

But the NFL puts all Thursday Night Games on a network I don't get