A.J. Burnett Trade Rumors: Wait Just One Second!

The latest out of the Yankees/Pirates A.J. Burnett trade rumors has some in the Yankees organization questioning whether the club could get more for him at the deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal.

Unless those in the org are able to halt negotiations, the deal should get done in the next few days. Numerous rumors have the Pirates paying somewhere between $10 million - $15 million of Burnett's remaining $33 million contract, which should free up the Yankees to spend another $6-7 million pursuing a DH:

• Twitter / @Ken_Rosenthal - "Interestingly, some #Yankees people oppose trading Burnett, believing team could get more at deadline. Yankees would receive marginal prospects, likely non-roster types, in return for Burnett. Teams still trying to narrow down players. Still an expectation that #Yankees, #Pirates will get A.J. deal done with Pirates assuming $10M to $15M of Burnett's remaining $33M."

New York Yankees must deal A.J. Burnett before spring training begins - Buster Olney | ESPN (Insider)
Once the Burnett deal is done and the Yankees know they will be saving about $6-7 million a year in salary, they will then turn to the business of signing a left-handed hitter who will take a lot of the at-bats at DH against right-handed pitching. Among the trio of Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, the Yankees' clear first choice is Ibanez largely because they feel like he can fill in at right field or left field for a handful of days; they view Damon and Matsui as defensively unplayable.

• The A.J. trade watch continues - Bryan Hoch | mlb.com
  A source told MLB.com over the weekend that the Pirates are "optimistic" that the Burnett trade will eventually go through, and it would seem to be in the Yankees’ best interest to do it before Burnett gets to camp. With four teams said to be interested in Burnett to some level, there is a level of confidence that the Yankees can unload him and save some of the $33 million that he is owed, even if it winds up not being to Pittsburgh.
• How Much is A.J. Burnett Worth for the Next Two Years? - MLB Daily Dish
  ...The rest of what we know is mostly speculation -- the Pirates are likely to trade a couple bottom rung prospects and the Yankees might eat most of that $35 million. I've seen the Pirates could be responsible for anything between $10 million - $14 million for the next two seasons. And that brings us to the question of the hour: how much is A.J. Burnett worth over the next two seasons?
• Yankees, Pirates Working out Burnett Trade Details - MLB Daily Dish
  The New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates have somewhat of a conditional framework for the rumored A.J. Burnett trade but are still trying to work out final players and dollar amounts, according to Buster Olney. This is the strongest indication yet that the deal will happen in the next few days.
• New York Yankees Complete Organizational Chart - MLB Daily Dish
  Rosters, Salaries, Leadership, and Prospects for the entire Yankees org.