Our latest bit of Yankees rumors is a blast from the past--there are rumblings going around that the New York Yankees are dark horses to acquire the services of Pittsburgh Pirates' free agent, and former Yankee, AJ Burnett.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe isn't fully convinced that the New York Yankees are major players yet for the 15-year veteran righthander--"it’s really looking like a Baltimore-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh runoff for his services."
However, in all of those cases, Cafardo sees Burnett's price tag as a bit of a concern, and as several MLB sources are indicating, it "wouldn't shock...if the Yankees were trying to get Burnett back."
New York Yankees rumors have been linking the Yankees to several free agent and trade candidate pitching possibilities, but the Burnett move could work on several levels--giving Burnett a second chance to make it New York (albeit with lower expectations,) and giving the Yankees a proven veteran pitcher who, in 2013, posted a 3.30 ERA which ties for the lowest of his career.
AJ Burnett went 10-11 in 30 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013--the sixth straight year in which the 37-year-old righthander has started 30 or more games.