Report: Yankees, Pirates near Burnett deal
The deal to send A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates is nearly complete, according to a report.
The New York Yankees and Pirates expect to submit the deal to the commissioner's office Friday for approval, sources told ESPN.com.
The approval is required because the Yankees will take on $20 million of Burnett's remaining $33 million, sources told the website.
The Yankees, who had hoped to land DH Bobby Abreu from the Los Angeles Angels before Burnett invoked his no-trade clause, are expected to settle for a pair of prospects from the Pirates.
The Pirates and Yankees had previously talked about a deal before the Yankees and Angels looked into swapping the veteran right-hander for Abreu, who had played for New York from 2006-08.
Instead of using Abreu as DH, the Yankees will pursue Raul Ibanez, sources told ESPN.com. While there have been reports the team has also considered former Yankees Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, the sources said many in the Yankees' organization prefer Ibanez because he can also play the outfield.
Burnett is 121-111 with a 4.10 ERA for his career, and 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA for the Yankees.
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