Sean Burnett rumors: Eight teams interested in left-hander

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of at least eight teams that have shown interest in free-agent left-hander Sean Burnett, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

The Cardinals are one of at least eight teams to reach out to the agent for lefty Sean Burnett. Talks for him are expected to pick up this week…

"The market as a whole I think has moved very slowly," Mozeliak said. "When we get down [to Nashville we’ll] have an idea of what other teams will be looking for and if there are any true fits for us."

Burnett, 30, put together great numbers for the Nats in 2012, posting a 2.38 ERA and 4.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 56⅔ innings over 70 appearances. The left-hander had a $3.5 million mutual option with the club for the 2013 season, but opted to decline it with the hopes of finding a multi-year deal on the open market.

The three-year, $18 million contract signed by fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt is sure to dictate the years and money offered to Burnett. In addition to the Cardinals, the Brewers, Angels and Nationals are on the lookout for bullpen help, and may account for more of the eight squads looking at Burnett.