MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees, Pirates A.J. Burnett Deal “Likely”

With each passing day it’s becoming more and more clear that the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees are going to agree on a trade involving A.J. Burnett.  The questions remaining are when the deal will become official and what the final terms of the agreement will look like.  More news came out regarding the Burnett situation yesterday, and most feel that a deal is likely to be completed in the near future.

Yesterday morning we reported that there are several clubs interested in Burnett.  It was said that while the Yankees were confident in reaching a deal with the Pirates, they first wanted to make sure there weren’t any more appealing offers to be had.

It now appears that New York has zeroed in on the Pirates, and that sides are likely putting the finishing touches on a deal.  The sticking points for both sides are the amount of money switching hands and the players not named Burnett involved in the trade.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that the Yankees would definitely agree to a trade if the Pirates would take on more than $13 million of Burnett’s remaining contract.  At this point Sherman said Pittsburgh is offering to take on $10 million and give the Yankees two “blah prospects” in exchange for Burnett.  Still, Sherman feels that a deal will ultimately get done.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com agrees with Sherman, tweeting that he expects the final agreement to have Pittsburgh taking on $13-15 million of Burnett’s contract and sending two players not on their 40-man roster to New York.

If this is indeed what an eventual deal looks like, who do you think gets the better end of things?  I think New York has to be considered winners if they are able to unload Burnett for anything, but I can’t deny that it will be interesting to see how the right-hander fares in the National League Central.

For more on the Yankees and Pirates, be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard and Rum Bunter.

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