Toronto Gets Burnett

[Cerrano39]

sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2249623

I really think the Blue Jays have been overpaying, but hey, I'm from Boston. Another career .500 (well under technically) pitcher gets big money. Eventually, saying "they have great stuff" doesn't mean anything.

Should be interesting to see his jump to the AL (Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano....)

[McGahee]

Meh, there's not much else Toronto's going to be able to do, so it's nice to see that they're actually trying to put together a winning team...

[sep]

Roy and AJ looks like a pretty good rotation, to bad they play in the east..wont make a difference.

[Jami]

You have to love it when teams start freaking out when the market goes up for a player and they just keep increasing their bid. The only thing more amusing is when they get stuck with those massive contracts when the pitcher wins a total of 20 games in 5 seasons, not one. Why hello there, Darren Driefert and Denny Neagle.

[Cerrano39]

I like ESPN's analysis. $1.1 milliion for a career win (55 mill, 49 wins) and $1.1 million for a save (47 mil, 42 saves).

AJ is a good pitcher and I'd love to have him on my team, but not for that price. I'd put Chaucin over Burnett who is the next, Pavano, Wright, Vazquez (i.e. Decent pitcher who looks good in the NL).

[jxtuoleafs]

Listen all you non-Toronto lovers, you don't know the pain that this team has gone through the last 8-10 years. A team that was driven by Carlos Delgado and only Carlos Delgado. A team that continuously watched Cy Young pitchers disappear (Hentgen, Clemens, Wells).

Now, not only do the Jays have some incredible young talent, but they actually have infrastructure. Management is making an effort to make this team good. Will that turn into a division title? Maybe not. However, the effort is there.

As far as Burnett goes, I think this was a key move. Money, right now, is not a huge issue for Toronto as I've stated in the past. This is a new theme, and even though he's only a .500 pitcher, he had a decent E.R.A last year, can almost hit 100 mph, has a no hitter, and brings more youth and more talent. He also bolsters a weak rotation.

If the only downside to this signing was the money, then believe me, the Jays won on this one.

[Cerrano39]

I'm not doubting the effort and I like Burnett, just not for that money. That is ace money, and he's not an ace. He's 29 which is not old, but not that young either. I think their efforts illustrate their futility but to expect him to win 15 games with a 3.50 ERA is just not likely (in my opinion). Do you think Toronto fans are going to want an $11 million pitcher who goes .500 with a solid ERA. That is money that should go to a pitcher who can do that efficiently.

He has high walk totals, as seen in his no-hitter.

The signing no way hurts the team on the field, but it could come back to bite them off the field, when their money is tied up in a mediocre to good player.

He is also going from the NL and a pitcher's park. I have the same worries about Beckett in that right.

[McGahee]

Maybe I misheard, but I beileve Burnett only gets paid 1 mill the first year, so they'll still have enough money to get another slugger if they want, though probably not an amazing one... again, maybe I misheard.

[jxtuoleafs]

Sort of correct...1 mil is the base salary...the other 7 million is in signing bonuses which is a tax benefit for the Jays.

[Cerrano39]

But if he doesn't produce, that 12 million for the next four years is going to hurt.

[cooljayhu]

I heard the Jays were looking into acquiring Zito as well for Batista and some prospects. If they get him their rotation will be sick. Halladay, Zito, Burnett, Chacin, and whoever it doesn't really matter. The only downside is that they wouldn't be able to add a hitter to their lineup.

[Jami]

Word is that the Jays and Brewers have reached an agreement on a trade for Brewer 1B Lyle Overbay for Shea Hillenbrand and David Bush, but Brewers GM Doug Melvin is waiting to see if he'll get a better offer. I'm a little disappointed if this is going to go through, since Hillenbrand would be practically useless to the Brewers since they already have 3 third basemen (Bill Hall, Russell Branyan, and Jeff Cirillo) unless there's truth to the rumor that the Brewers would turn around and deal Hillenbrand to Minnesota for J.C. Romero or Kyle Lohse. Bush might be interesting since he's still young and seemingly has a lot of potential, and he'd fill the Brewers' need for a 5th starter.

We'll see what happens with this, since it could be another fairly big Jays move. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Brewers take the offer, since the market for first basemen is steadily going down with the Mets getting Delgado and the Bucs getting Sean Casey from Cincy. I'm holding out hope for the rumored Overbay trade to Boston for Clement, but I guess David Bush wouldn't be bad either.

[jxtuoleafs]

Hey, I watched a lot of Dave Bush last year, and despite his record...he actually wasn't bad at all. He improved so much over last year, and I expect him to win at least 12 games next year. Bold prediction, I know.

As for Hillenbrand, he's not just a 3rd basemen...while the all-star played extremely admirably, he's an even better 1st baseman, and he would've been suited for a DH spot, but obviously, going to the NL that won't happen.

I actually would like the Overbay trade for both sides. Both teams get something, and shuffle it up enough to keep management happy.