The New York Yankees are looking to lower payroll, and the easiest way to do that is by moving bad contracts like the one they gave out to right-handed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the club has had no success in their attempts to move Burnett's albatross contract.
Of all the teams that could have expressed interest in the troubled starter, the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of them, surprisingly enough. One rival executive tells Rosenthal the Braves could be in on Burnett, if they move Jair Jurrjens. While Yankees would welcome a straight Burnett-for-Jurrjens swap, teams are asking the Yankees to eat most of the money owed to Burnett over the next two seasons.
Burnett, who turned 35 yesterday, is owed $16.5 million annually for the next two years before hitting free agency. He posted a 5.15 ERA across 190 innings of work, including a 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.