On Sunday, February 19th, the Pittsburgh Pirates trade with the New York Yankees became official. AJ Burnett is now a Bucco. Though the deal was agreed upon before the 18th it was contingent on Burnett passing his physical and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig consenting to the trade. His consent was required because of the large sum of money that New York ($20 million) was going to continue to pay Burnett. The Yankees in return received to prospects from the Pirates, outfielder Exicardo Cayones and reliever Diego Moreno.
Only hours after the deal became official Burnett put on the black and yellow, addressed the media, and took the mound in Pirate City for his first bullpen session of Spring Training. Burnett is excited for the fresh start this move could bring him and his return trip to the National League.
The Pirates and Pirate fans are excited to see this newcomer join the squad. He brings a level of experience many of them have not seen; having been a member of what is considered an elite baseball team and having thrown in the World Series.
However, recent years have shown Burnett struggle with velocity and control of some of his best pitches. Are the Pirates and Burnett at all worried that his struggles will continue? No. Both parties feel very strongly that this is an opportunity for him to start all over in a city that actually wants to see him on the mound.
He is joining a rotation consisting of Kevin Correia, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, and fellow newcomer Erik Bedard. Is the rotation slightly crowded? Yes, but is that really a huge problem? No. It adds a layer of depth that the Pirates are not upset to have. It creates options and opportunity for the team to allow guys to rest when needed while also creating an opportunity to allow Morton to make sure he is back to 100% before taking the mound again after his offseason surgery.
Is this move a guaranteed success story in the making? No, but to my fellow fans who have sat through so many losing seasons….. Lets sit back and enjoy the ride. Who knows where the next stop on this trip may be, we just might end up in the playoffs!
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