The Pirates and Yankees have agreed to a trade that will send A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh, reports Ken Rosnethal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). "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.
Burnett will take a physical on Sunday and, due to the amount of money changing hands, the trade needs to be approved by the league. As was reported earlier this morning by ESPN's Buster Olney, the Pirates and Yankees hope to be able to take the deal to the commissioner's office sometime today.
The much-maligned Burnett posted a 4.79 ERA, a 1.99 K/BB ratio and a 1.45 WHIP in three seasons with New York after signing a five-year, $82.5MM contract in the 2008-09 offseason. He did, however, play a key role in the Yankees' 2009 World Series title and averaged 195 innings per year during his time in the Bronx. This durability makes the 35-year-old Burnett an attractive quantity to the Pirates, who haven't had a pitcher reach 195 innings since 2009.
The Pirates have been looking for veteran starting pitching this winter but, after signing Erik Bedard, were turned down by free agents Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt. Burnett will have a guaranteed spot in a Pittsburgh rotation that will also feature Bedard and James McDonald, with Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton and Kevin Correia all likely battling for the final two spots.
For the Yankees, getting $13MM of Burnett's salary off the books frees up enough payroll space for the team to pursue some depth needs. We've heard the Yankees are looking at Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez as left-handed bats to fill the part-time DH and backup infield roles, respectively.
