Burnett Deal Finalized, Yankees' DH Search Continues
NEW YORK (WFAN) — WFAN's Jon Heyman reported via Twitter at 5:16 PM Sunday afternoon that the Yankees finalized the long-awaited trade of A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Yankees have finally freed themselves of the 35-year-old Burnett who is coming off an 11-11 season with a 5.15 ERA. Over his three-year stint with the Yankees, Burnett went 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA.
Later the evening, the Yankees announced that they received Pirates' prospects Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones in return.
The 25-year old Moreno spent 2011 split between Single-A and Double-A ball. He compiled a combined 2-4 record with and 3.63 ERA over 44.2 innings in 2011.
Cayones, a 20-year old outfielder batted .293 with 0 home runs and 12 RBI in 27 Gulf Coast League games before a brief call-up to Single-A.
Heyman blogged the following on CBSSports.com earlier on Sunday:
The Yankees are expected to try to sign both Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez once A.J. Burnett passes his physical and commissioner Bud Selig approves the Burnett deal to the Pirates.
There have been a couple suggestions that the Yankees might not be able to afford both accomplished players for their bench, but the belief is that they are still likely to reel in both, for about $1 million apiece as a base salary. Ibanez is the team's top lefthanded DH choice, and Chavez, who did a nice job in New York last year, fills the bill as a nice complement for aging star Alex Rodriguez, who will likely need more time off than in the past.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is said to have had a nice chat with Johnny Damon recently, but the Yankees prefer Ibanez for what they believe is slightly better defense and a little more punch against righthanded pitching. The Mariners are a team that is believed to have had a bit of interest in both Ibanez and Damon, and the Orioles are seen as another possible Damon option.
Burnett is expected to pass his Pirates physical by Monday, and Selig will have to approve the deal because the Yankees will be sending the Pirates $18 million to complete the trade with Pittsburgh.
Are you pleased to see A.J. depart? Which DH target should the Yankees pursue? Sound off in the comments below…
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