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July 2, 2008
BURNETT WILL BE TRADED BY THE DEADLINE—THE QUESTION IS WHERE? There is little doubt that AJ Burnett will be dealt by the Blue Jays by the July 31 trade deadline. The Jays cannot afford the luxury of a $12 million fourth starter on a club that has far too many other holes that need to be filled. Since AJ will definitely opt out of his contract at season’s end the Jays might as well get something positive for him now rather than draft choices later. For his part AJ has not been reticent about proclaiming his unhappiness in Toronto. He is fed up with the media and the fans for (rightfully) accusing him of being a very expensive pitcher that produces continually mediocre results. The highly emotional fireballer has grown angrier with this perception and is anxious to start over with a new club. Of course as long as Burnett goes out and throws gas on the fire he won’t be going anywhere. This is where Cito Gaston comes in. Cito is, to the say the least, not a JP guy so he won’t be spouting the company line when he speaks with his players. There is little doubt that Cito has already had a conversation with Burnett in which the manager let his pitcher know that the best, and easiest, way out of town is to pitch like an all-star each time AJ takes the mound. That way a contender will come a’ calling. Since GM JP Ricciardi made public his foot in mouth disease over the Adam Dunn issue the likelihood of acquiring a qualified veteran hitter seems remote. So Burnett will be traded for a few spare parts that perhaps the Jays can use--if not this year then next. So where will Burnett go? Here are the likely candidates. 1. Chicago Cubs. The north-siders are looking at finally ending the century old curse (lousy teams usually beget a curse). The Cubbies look to have the team this year capable of ending the longest drought in baseball—but are missing one entity (a solid starting pitcher). If the Indians make CC Sabathia available by the deadline the Cubs would like to go in that direction—even though Sabathia would cost much more. Burnett is a nice fall back though. 2. New York Mets. With the continuing pressure of having a supposed title contender hover around the .500 mark Mets GM Omar Minaya may look to make a big splash at the deadline. Since Pedro Martinez looks likes he’s done the Mets are going to need to add a starter if they want to contend for a World Series. Burnett fills the bill. 3. Philadelphia Phillies. This is likely going to be GM Pat Gillick’s last year (where have we heard that before?) and the Phils have one of the majors most dominating line-ups. They are now solid in the pen but are weak in the rotation. Burnett would be a nice addition here. 4. Detroit Tigers. With their recent spurt the Tigers have finally climbed over the .500 mark and can now realistically set their sights on the division leading White Sox. The Tigers basically spent their farm system in the off season acquiring Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, but if they want to win a title they are going to have to find some pitching. Willis is experiencing severe location problems—and has been re-located to A ball because of them. The Tigers also lost Jeremy Bonderman for the year and might be willing to deal a couple of their remaining prospects for Burnett. 5. St. Louis Cardinals. The surprise team in the NL already has some expensive arms in the DL in Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder. Both pitchers may return this year. If not the Cards will definitely be in the market for pitching. 6. Milwaukee Brewers. The improvement in their rotation, the solidification of the bullpen, and the great power they possess in the line-up makes the brewers contenders this year. An arm like Burnett’s could push them over the top. 7. New York Yankees. Boston Red Sox. Both will be looking for pitching. Would the Jays be foolish enough to trade with their enemies? I doubt it. Not unless they were offered the moon in return. And the way JP has been going recently the moon would turn into a big pizza pie.
Preview my new fictional novel A Walking Parody at www.michaelghobson.com Listen to my weekly radio appearance Fridays late night with Norm Rumack on the Fan590.
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