With the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers scheduled to report for Spring Training only a few days away, many of them are wondering if there will be another new face reporting for duty. Reports have recently stated that the Pirates are actively engaged in talks with the New York Yankees to acquire pitcher AJ Burnett.
Burnett has spent the last 3 seasons with the Yankees racking up a 34-35 record and a 4.79 ERA. He was a solid contributor to the Yankees 2009 World Series Championship team but has since done nothing more than struggle.
Reports indicate that this deal is nearly complete except for ironing out a few major details such as how much of the $33 million remaining on his contract that the Pirates should pay and also what prospects they should give in return. The Yankees reportedly asked for Pirates first baseman Garrett Jones but were immediately told no deal.
As a Pirates fan is the addition of AJ Burnett a good or a bad move? What does he bring to the Pirates rotation, and do the Pirates really want to trade for him?
With the uncertainty of Charlie Morton and whether he will be ready to go at the start of the season after having off season hip surgery, Burnett could fill that potential opening in the starting rotation. He would join fellow new comer Erik Bedard, in an effort to help Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, and James Mcdonald improve on the starting pitching from last season.
With many Yankee fans happy to see all the talk of Burnett leaving New York, should Pittsburgh fans be excited and ready to accept him as a Pirate? Do we really believe that a change of scenery and a switch to the National League can bring AJ Burnett back to the pitcher that he once was? After so many disappointing seasons, do we even really care? If this deal goes through lets hope his experience can help end the Pirates struggles and point them toward the direction of… Wins.
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