The New York Yankees have made no secret about their desire to add starting pitching before the upcoming MLB trade deadline, though of course they’re not alone in their search.
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Few starting arms available are better than Philadelphia Phillies veteran AJ Burnett, so it seems only logical that the deep pocketed Yankees would have interest Burnett, right? Apparently not as ESPN reports the New York Yankees have no interest in trading for AJ Burnett.
Speaking about Burnett’s price tag, Jayson Stark of ESPN dropped the nugget.
"Meanwhile, the Orioles’ interest appears just lukewarm. And the Yankees told the Phillies, “No, thanks.”"
On the surface it seems rather odd that the New York Yankees would lack interest in AJ Burnett given their need for rotational help. Of course, his $14.25 player option next year is a problem, even for the Yankees who have enough payroll concerns to deal with as is. Adding a near additional $15 million dollars would put a dent into any upcoming free agent plans they may have, so it simply appears to be an issue of money.
I’m sure if the New York Yankees could somehow convince the Philadelphia Phillies to take back some salary or pay a portion of Burnett’s contract, then they may entertain the offer. But Philadelphia doesn’t have a ton of reason to do such considering they could just keep him if they were willing to shell out cash to rid themselves of Burnett.
Barring a change of heart, it doesn’t appear as if the Yankees will be a candidate for Burnett’s services.