A.J. Burnett trade rumors: nine teams excluded from no-trade clause
By Hayden Kane
Presuming there is any chance that the Pittsburgh Pirates are not the team to execute a trade for their former stud A.J. Burnett, there are eight other teams that would be able to make a deal without having to first overcome Burnett’s no-trade clause.
Jerry Crasnick passes along the list:
Burnett can be traded to #orioles #redsox #reds #royals #mets #yankees #pirates #stlcards #nationals without his permission.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 22, 2014
As a veteran free agent who was pondering retirement at the time, it makes sense that Burnett mapped out all of the places he would be willing to go as part of a deal.
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Many of these make sense. You have potential contenders and teams with track records of success. Obviously any pitcher these days would love the chance to join the stocked pitching staffs of either the St. Louis Cardinals or Washington Nationals. The Orioles nearly landed him this off-season because of proximity to home.
Then again, you have teams on the list that are surprising. Burnett’s stint with the Yankees could only be described as disastrous. That he would even consider revisiting that time in his life seems unthinkable. And the Mets? Huh?
If you ‘Google’ A.J. Burnett, something like ‘A.J. Burnett Pirates’ seems like a lock as one of the recommended searches. The trade rumors linking Burnett to the Pirates are hot and heavy at this point, with the two sides both seemingly willing to move on from their ugly break-up this past off-season. If that reunion does come to be, there will be plenty of interested suitors.