Things are heating up.
Heyman just said both sides are optimistic.
Read somewhere that there was more than one team interested and Cash is just trying to work it so the Yanks eat the least money as possible.

Yanks got pitching and can move some dead wood where they are stacked.

And a team can find a guy that will eat up innings and may blossom away from the pressure cooker.

Should get interesting!

i wonder how many teams in baseball can afford to eat whatever part of his salary they will end up eating...

3??




{{{{ small-market team fanbase }}}}


hahahahahaa, oh my

I'm happy that this one can.

take my starter - please

Word now is Cash wants a prospect too.
Go Cash!

Who would be dumb enough to pay this guy besides the Yankees?

And they're going to be dumb enough to give them a prospect too, right? Sure.

AJ will be an above average to great pitcher in a small market where the spotlight is not on him. Pittsburgh would be perfect for him. He's just like Kenny Rogers and tthose other pitchers that couldn't handle the big time.

I totally agree that AJ might just return to form outside of the spotlight, but the big hang up on the deal at this time, at least as reported, is that a "significant hurdle" appears to be what level of prospect the Pirates would deal in exchange for how much the yankees would eat of the remaining contract. The yankees want a better prospect and the Pirates want the yankees to eat more money. Apparently they are not close on this yet - and it is also reported that no other team is interested or willing to make a deal for Burnett.

I also found this nugget amongst the articles and updates this morning: "General manager Brian Cashman is under orders from managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner to bring the payroll down in the coming years so the team can avoid paying a luxury-tax penalty that hits 50 percent in 2014. The days of blank-check offseasons in the Bronx are over."

OVER? Really? If so - WOW!

Meanwhile - the Red Sox seem to indicate with their offseason moves that austerity has already been established as a goal in Boston.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yan kees-talking-with-pirates-about-burnett-1.3521021

>>>General manager Brian Cashman is under orders from managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner to bring the payroll down in the coming years so the team can avoid paying a luxury-tax penalty that hits 50 percent in 2014. The days of blank-check offseasons in the Bronx are over.

It's more complicated than that. I'll look for backup but I remember reading it's something like an escalating/compounding luxury tax, and if they're under the threshold for even one year before '14, that it resets to a lower level going forward.

Yeah here ya go:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7381414/new-york -yankees-boston-red-sox-only-teams-hit-luxury-tax


"Under the new labor contract, the Yankees' rate would increase to 42.5 percent next year and 50 percent in 2013 if they continue to exceed the threshold, and Boston's rate would go up to 40 percent next season.

But if in any year a team goes under the threshold, its rate decreases to 17.5 percent the next time it pays the tax."

there was a piece on clubhouse confidential (mlb net) yesterday that placed the 5th highest payroll for '12 only 80M behind the yanks, the nearest its ever been, a sign that blank check baseball is either wiseing up or just rampant , you make the call

>>>I also found this nugget amongst the articles and updates this morning: "General manager Brian Cashman is under orders from managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner to bring the payroll down in the coming years so the team can avoid paying a luxury-tax penalty that hits 50 percent in 2014. The days of blank-check offseasons in the Bronx are over."

OVER? Really? If so - WOW!<<<

I brought that up last year.
May have been around the CJ Wilson or Cliff Lee stuff and was laughed at when I offered that as a reason.
That's been a goal of the Yankees since the CC and Tex and AJ signings.

In fact, that was one of the reason that Red Sox fans and a lot of folks in the baseball world (folder beaners excluded) scoffed at the Crawford signing.

They thought the Sox should have been more prudent with their cash and saved it for pitching given the current restrictions on reducing payroll in order to eliminate compounded luxury tax.

As far as AJ that's just Cash being Cash and looking to get the most bang for his buck. He'll be dealt for sure. Maybe not to the Pirates though.

Then who? Gotta go with Bucky on this one, who is dumb enough?

Prudent irony is more like it.

I thought Francesca did a pretty good bit on this subject this week.

There are a lot of smaller market teams who need a decent pitcher that can eat up a ton of innings.

Doesn't need to be lights out, but respectable. Kinda like Wake was for the Red Sox.

If you aren't the Yankees, Phillies or Red Sox the first thing they need to figure out is how to fill up all those innings pitching wise.

162 x 9 = 1,458 innings
Thats a lot when you stop to think about it.

AJ could definitely fill in quite nicely for a bunch of teams. The question is of course at what price?

Ya know he will eat up innings and there is a pretty good chance he could be a lot better once he gets away from all those spotlights. No one can take that DOMINANT WS run away from him and that experience COULD help a younger team making a play-off run for the first time.

I think they really wanna deal AJ and are firing a few over the bow in typical Yankees fashion.

Yanks wanted Pitt to pick up half and they offered a third right?

Now they're squabbling about a prospect.

They should be able to get something done.

It's definitely cool to follow until pitchers and catchers.

ESPN seems to agree with Heyman and doesn't seem to think the hurdle is "significant"

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id /27009/a-j-to-pirates-has-legs?utm_medium=referral &utm_campaign=br_yankees&utm_source=twitter.com

"(The Yankees) are already over budget..."

Haha! You don't say. Really?

Ya got balls talking budget, six.

Why do you take all my posts literally?

Here's a link to Heyman's article. Have you read the fan comments underneath?

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/10/heyman-yank ees-pirates-discussing-a-j-burnett-trade/

"Freddie

Burnett is not as bad as the media and talk show callers make him out to be. He is never on the DL and he is capable of throwing a no hitter. As a Yankee fan, I have seen this act before, the front running fans will drive him out of town. In the end I don’t see the Pirates making the trade anyway.

February 10, 2012 at 1:47 pm


The front-running fans?


Also - here is a killer line from Heyman: "...the Yankees initially asked Pittsburgh to absorb nearly half of the $33 million remaining on Burnett’s contract.

Half? They must have a good laugh on that one.

Don't let the door hit him on the ass on his way out. I'd rather have Ed Whitson than this poor excuse for a money player! Oh well you can't win em all ,but he's a cancer for the Yankees!Get rid of him and shove his pies up his ass while you're at it!

>>>Then who? Gotta go with Bucky on this one, who is dumb enough?

The Yankees are talking with four teams, but in reality it is three. Burnett has a no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to block 10 teams. One of the clubs the Yankees have had legitimate talks with is on the list and, a person familiar with Burnett’s thinking, said that he won’t give in on that team. Besides Pittsburgh, it is unknown who the other three clubs the Yankees are talking to about Burnett.

They're still workin.

GO CASH, GO!

No matter who it is, they may be dumb, but not dumb enough to pay for half his contract or anywhere close. Or can they be that dumb?

Lites:

What good is eating innings if your era is 5?

I know, that's how things are today with a pitch count of 100 & a 'quality start' being a ERA of 4.50.

Don't get me going on a rant here.

>>>I totally agree that AJ might just return to form outside of the spotlight,

Returning to form for Burnett is having a good season in your walk year & finding a sucker to give you a long term contract.

Here is the latest from Heyman as of this hour:

"Buster Olney tweets that the two teams have a “framework” in place to make a deal. However, Jon Heyman indicates that the Pirates have offered two minor leaguers for Burnett, but the Yankees are nonplussed. Heyman also writes that the Pirates are more worried about protecting their minor-league system than about the amount of Burnett’s salary they’ll have to take on."

"The Yankees want to clear salary, and the Pirates have money to spend, so they’ll likely offer to take on $12 million or so of the remaining $33 million on Burnett’s contract."

12 is a little more than a third, nowhere near half - but, I will admit, that is more than I thought they would be offering.

Buster is a moron.

Cash always shoots for the moon.

He wanted them to pick up half.

Then he wanted Jones.

hahaha

Cash is just chipping away.

This will get done.

john henry spent 85 million this offseason.

on liverpool...

>>This will get done.

The mistake shall be swept away!

Heyman says:

Possibility of Pitt picking up 13-15 mil and giving up 2 non-roster players

seems like everybody saying this gets done before pitchers and catchers

interesting!

>>Possibility of Pitt picking up 13-15 mil

Shit! They could have had Papi for that kind of money.

Not sure what they would use a DH for, but...

Vlad
Hideki
Ibanez
Damon

they got options once this gets wrapped up

are we rid of the scum bucket pie thrower clown yet???

Vlad in Yankee stadium might be something.

Plus they have a non-Glove wearing hitter quota to fill.

I hope Hideki comes back for a curtain call personally.

I second the Hideki call. He'd be the only guy in that lineup capable of gettnig a hit in the playoffs.

If I have to sit through another Swisher ofer I'm gonna kill somebody.

@Ken_Rosenthal
Burnett's no-trade list includes west-coast teams because his wife is from Maryland and does not like to fly.

WFAN reports some inside the Yankees want to keep Burnett until the trade deadline, thinking his value will be higher then...

Huh? higher value with a 5+ ERA & coming out of the bullpen?

Here comes Cleveland.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120214&c ontent_id=26685252&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Sounds like Cash cranking up the heat on the Pirates to me.

We shall see.

>>>Huh? higher value with a 5+ ERA & coming out of the bullpen?

you really don't understand that train of thought?

whatever

^^ No, I really don't.

This should be good.

Some folks think teams who believe they have a sniff at the playoffs and are just 1 arm short tend to have deeper pockets.

If there aren't many arms available they may dig even deeper.

If two teams are battling for a playoff spot from the same division they may even get into a bidding war.

If he's in the pen he has less chance of injury and his arm will still be fresh which would be another plus.

While ya may not agree, their argument makes some sense.

That's too straight-forward and reasonable an answer there. I wanted more back and forth between you and Bucky. Damn.

So today we learn that AJ turned down a trade to the Angels for Abreu because of his wife's fear of flying.

Pitt and The Yankees are still 3-5 mil apart.

The saga continues.

Abreu?

The Yankees' aim, of course, is to have this thing done before pitchers and catchers report on Sunday, and to that end, as my colleague Andrew Marchand correctly speculated yesterday, the Yankees tried hard to sell Burnett on the L.A. Angels, one of the teams on his no-trade list, with the argument that he woulde automatically be the No. 5 starter on a team that is sure to contend this season. The ulterior motive for the Yankees was that they would have gotten Bobby Abreu, Part II, in return, filling their vacancy for a left-handed DH. Burnett, however, rejected the pitch due to his wife's fear of flying.

>>>>If he's in the pen he has less chance of injury and his arm will still be fresh which would be another plus.


Good rationale, but he still SUCKS...

Unless it's a walk year of course.

The old 'Beltre Syndrome'

..Which just got broken when he signed with Texas, but everybody hits in Texas.

Yeah but if he goes to the NL he'll be an ACE Buckster.

Cuz we all know the NL SUCKS ASS!

NL Sucks

Yeah that's why they are 6-5 in World Series this century

Maybe.
Alls I know is we WHOOPED Philly's ass!

First the Yankees had too many DH's and now we're going after Abreu. Can't wait to see him turn into a shell of a human being as he runs near the wall in right.

he was one cowardly muthafucka once he hit the track


I can see the Abreu...He be looking SCARED

Totally farcical.

At least they play real baseball in the Nl...

not softball with a hardball.

According to the latest it's down to the Pirates or nothing as the other teams have all dropped out.

Almost a week after this surfaced, it's STILL about how much the Pirates are willing to pay of the $33 million.

We've certainly found out that teams are dumb enough to pay this guy AND give them a prospect.

4 teams interested sure turned some heads.

Sure they turned heads, but I wouldn't consider them dumb until a deal is made.

I find it odd that they weren't all over 10 mil and 2 schlubs.

I would have pulled the trigger on that so Cash must know something.

"Soft" yankees deadline of Sat. was what they said originally.

We shall see.

He's like a fucking pimple on your asshole that won't go away!

Looks like the Pirates are digging deeper!

TAMPA — The A.J. Burnett Era in The Bronx will end today or tomorrow.

According to multiple sources, the Yankees and Pirates are nearing a deal that would send the right-hander to Pittsburgh for two marginal prospects. The Pirates would absorb $13 million to $15 million of the $33 million Burnett is owed this season and next.

“It will happen this weekend,’’ a person familiar with the deal predicted. “Probably Saturday.’’
The optimism that a deal can get finished flows from the Pirates increasing their obligation of the $33 million. Initially, they offered to pay $10 million but the Yankees then demanded a significant prospect if they were going to pick up $23 million for a pitcher not throwing for them.

From what I read, it looks like the yankees still WANT the Pirates to dig deeper, but the Pirates have not done so as of yet or a trade would have been done already.

Gotta know when to fold em Six.

They are gonna get PLUS 10 mil and 2 prospects.

13 mil MINIMUM and it may be closer to 15.

Deal with it.

No! I want him on the yankees where he belongs, DAMMIT!

HOLY SHIT now even that dopey bastard Olney believes now. LMAO! Another one that asshole completely blows. Way to come around, Buster.

We know that the Yankees are getting $13-15 million of salary relief in their trade with the Pirates. Now, Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees and Bucs hope to take the deal to the Commissioner's Office by later today for him to bless it. Then A.J. Burnett will be a Pirate and the Yankees will receive two marginal prospects.

Deal's done and off to MLB for approval, which is not considered to be a problem.

AJ to have a physical Sunday.
(He should do better than Okajima!!!)

So long, AJ!
Thanks for 2009!

Now go sign a DH, Cash!!!!

So how much of the $33 is Pittsburgh paying in the end?

13 mil and 2 prospects

From Ken Rosenthal: The Yankees and Pirates are finally in agreement on a trade that will send A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh. One last detail is being hammered out, but Burnett is scheduled to take a physical on Sunday.

The deal will also need approval from Major League baseball due to the large amount of money exchanged. Rosenthal added that the Yankees will pay $20 million of the $33 million left on Burnett’s contract; the Pirates’ original stance of paying $10 million brought talks to a standstill. In return, the Yankees receive two low-level minor leaguers from Pirates and have money free to sign a designated hitter (the favorite is Raul Ibanez). The team is also targeting a return of Eric Chavez as a reserve corner infielder.

Once the Burnett deal becomes official, it's a win-win. For the Yankees it’s addition by subtraction. While the competition for the fifth starter’s role – Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia will become the top contenders – would have been intense, because it’s Burnett, every bad outing would have created a distraction. The Bucs get a No. 2 starter to pitch in the weaker NL Central.

AJ is also reunited with his catcher from when he played in Toronto.

I bet he does well in Pittsburgh.

BTW - if the Pirates got the yankees to agree to pay anywhere near 2/3 of the $33 - then good for the Pirates!

Now all we need is for 2-3 yankee starters to go on the DL early and then...bwahahahaha!

---

quote:

By Bucky (Bucky) on Saturday, February 11, 2012 - 01:23 am: Edit Post
Who would be dumb enough to pay this guy besides the Yankees?

By Sixipedia (Drumsspacevt) on Saturday, February 11, 2012 - 06:38 am: Edit Post
And they're going to be dumb enough to give them a prospect too, right? Sure.

---

I did not say the trade is a good move for the Pirates - I said good for the Pirates for making the yankees pay 2/3 of the contract when the yankees started out wanting them to pay HALF.

And how do you know those "two low-level minor leaguers" are worth anything?

No one said they were.

You and Bucky were having a good laugh when I said

>>>Word now is Cash wants a prospect too.
Go Cash!<<<

Cash laughed at the 10 mil and got them up to 13 mil and 2 prospects.

It's a win-win all around.

WOOT!!!

And the Pirates laughed at half and got the yankees to choke up a little more - works both ways.

And just 'cause Cash wanted a prospect doesn't mean he got one - he might have gotten two trouble makers that the Pirates want to dump from their system, right?

When I see how well those "prospects" do - then we'll see who laughs last. Could be you - could be me and Bucky.

The prospects have absolutely NOTHING to do with it.

That's just gravy.

No matter how you try to spin it, it's a GREAT move for the Yankees.

If the prospects have nothing to do with it, then I fail to understand why you made such a point of saying:

>>>Word now is Cash wants a prospect too.
Go Cash!<<<

I'm not spinning anything here - just observing.

I said that when Cash was going for Jackson, Six.
Obviously he wasn't gonna get a blue chip for AJ.
I've been quite clear on where I thought it should be.

Cash got an extra 3 mil and 2 prospects.
MUCH better than anticipated.

If ya think anyone INCLUDING cash thought they'd pay half I want some of what you're hitting.

What a great day for the Yankees as we get ready for Pitchers and Catchers!!!

"One final detail" is being worked out today, but the Yankees will send Burnett and $20MM to the Pirates in exchange for two low-level minor leaguers, leaving the Bucs responsible for the remaining $13MM in the two years left on Burnett's contract. This final detail could well be the identity of the minor leaguers, as CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports that there is "still a bit of debate" between the clubs about which prospects will be going to New York.

A bit of debate? A Spot of discussion? A Tad of conversation...

>>I said that when Cash was going for Jackson, Six.

And you don't think Bucky and I weren't thinking that there was no way the yankees would get some of Jackson's caliber in the deal?

According to that last quote I put up - maybe they DO think they are still going to get someone(s) of value and Pittsburgh is saying if you want us to pay $13 MM then you are NOT going to get anyone worthwhile?

The end of a vicious circle for 3 teams....Braves wanted to sign AJ but he wanted to go to NY so that his wife could get to games easier...so Braves go down the list and get Derek Lowe who except for september of 2010 was aweful...Since the Braves signed Lowe the Mets went and answered with Oliver Perez.


I find it funny that they used the Braves dump of Lowe as an asking point of the Yankees dumping AJ. I think AJ will do a lot better in Pit then Lowe does in Cleveland.

You or Bucky didn't think there was a team that would pay just cash.

Then you scoffed that there could be more than one.

They got prospects to boot.
No one thought they would be blue chippers.

You think the only way this is a good deal for the Yankees is if those prospects become something?

Seriously?

Don't read the papers the next few days.
Lots of people will be completely disagreeing with ya.

>>You think the only way this is a good deal for the Yankees is if those prospects become something?

No, and I never said that either and you know it.

And while I did scoff that their might be more than one - how serious were those other teams? Kicking tires or really being real? I mean come on, man.

And once again I ask - if you think the prospects mean nothing - why do you have to add >>They got prospects to boot.>> in your post.

Obviously you DO think they mean something or you wouldn't even mention it.

Because the prospects are a pot sweetener.
Proof that Cashman once again got the last squeeze of the grape.
It's what he does.
3 mil and 2 prospects better than ANYONE thought he would do.
They don't need to become anything.

He don't seem distracted by the crazy broad to me!

Onto a DH!

Good seeing ya Rev!
How's things shaking by you?

Both this trade and the Lowe trade were money motivated hard to pay a #6 or #7 starter #1 money so any cash back is a bonus th0 I think AJ for 6.5 mil a year for 2 years isnt a bad gamble at all even if he is their forth starter.






Things are good I bought a place in the burbs and have pretty much been chilling.How has life been treating u lately?

How the fuck do you know Cashman got the last squeeze of the grape and not Huntington?

Huntington got the yankees to pay $20 MM. He's getting AJ for 6.5 million a year. There are teams that are paying way more than that for worse pitchers.

And if he dumped some nobodies in the deal - who cares?

Why is it reported they are still debating the "prospects"?

Who is squeezing who again?

Great to hear, Rev!
Congrats!

Same old, same old here.
Surviving.


>>>How the fuck do you know Cashman got the last squeeze of the grape and not Huntington?

Because Huntington caved, that's how.
Doesn't really take a genius to see that talks stalled when Pitt was adamant about 10 mil and no prospects.
And they were the ones sweetening the pot.

What a dumb question.

>>>Why is it reported they are still debating the "prospects"?

It's not.

both teams just did what they did best.


Yankees ate a shit ton of $$$ to get rid of player, and the Pirates just gave away prospects like they were pieces of candy..


business as usual, imo

FWIW


Second player in Burnett deal is Exicardo Cayones, besides Diego Moreno.

>Proof that Cashman once again got the last squeeze of the grape.


recent events call into question cashman's grape acumen...but I digress


see ya , AJ.
you never struck me as yankee material.
no hard feelings.

>>>>>Why is it reported they are still debating the "prospects"?

>>It's not.

It was at the time I posted that.

Look - I give up. You know everything. You know all the details of the negotiation obviously. How can I argue with a know it all? Clearly, I can't.

I bet you think Cash was a genius years ago when he signed Burnett in the first place because he proabaly knew then that in 3 years he could dump Burnett while only having to pay $20 MM of his contract to get rid of him and he could get two super nifty propects in the deal, right?

guess Ibanez is next?

those reports correct?

>>>It was at the time I posted that.

lol i know, six
I was just bustin' ya shoes.

>>>I bet you think Cash was a genius years ago when he signed Burnett in the first place because he proabaly knew then that in 3 years he could dump Burnett while only having to pay $20 MM of his contract to get rid of him and he could get two super nifty propects in the deal, right?<<<

bwahahaha!
I can see why you don't bet.

And I can see where humor sometimes eludes you enough that you think people mean everything they post.

Cheers!

Not often I get knocked for my sense of humor.

Most people find me funny as fuck.

Yes, I agree. I think you are funny, but what I said was that you seem to not always understand when others are joking and think they are being serious.

addition by subtraction! it's over!!

goodbye asshole

He's gonna have a really good year.

The Pirates are this generation's Kansas City A's...

They basically exist to feed the Yankees players whenever the Yankees need them & the Pirates want $$$.

Sad.

I think its a good deal for the Yanks and the Pirates.. They have the cash to burn and Burnett will probably be decent enough for Pirates.. Wonder if they're interested in Lackey at all???

The prospects?? Who cares.. If they're good they'll use them if not they'll dump em on another team..

>>>>Most people find me funny as fuck.

Someday you'll realize they're not laughing WITH you...

AJ gone
fiiiiiiiiiinally
there is a Santa Claus
it would have been a great deal if NY got nothing in return
so thank yeeeeeew Pittsburgh

sentimental favorites -
NL Pirates, AL Royals

League approved!

See ya Jerk!

Just goes to show there's so much more to this than physical ability, which AJ has in spades. Talent is as much character and mental stability as physicality.

dude got hit in the eye area yesterday during a bunting drill........






out with a broken Orbital Bone around his right eye...

I'd say the guy just couldn't catch a break but...

Out 2-3 months.
Amazing.

This should reinforce to Pittsburgh that they made a fantastic trade, right?

Absolutely, now they don't have to pitch AJ for 3 months!

Ha! Nice one!

Dude - what part of Brooklyn are you from? For a while back in the 1980's I lived in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope.

I'm in the Slope.

A block away from the Park/Celebrate Brooklyn.

I used to live on Garfield between 6th and 7th. Miss the city sometimes, but I'm a country boy at heart. Hope to see you at a show down there some day.

Likewise my man!

The Yankees SUCK

When will we see JUSTICE?