Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » A.J. Burnett

Yanks Should Thank Burnett for Vetoing LA Deal

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

According to a tweet the other night by Buster Olney, the Philadelphia Phillies attempted to trade pitcher Joe Blanton to the Los Angeles Angels for OF/DH Bobby Abreu, then planned to flip Abreu to the New York Yankees for A.J. Burnett.  My first thought was how much cash would the Phillies have wanted the Yankees […]

Listen: Pitchers & Catchers at 8pm

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

The Hot Stove is officially over and we kick off the Grapefruit League schedule with the first radio show of spring training. Jody McDonald of ESPN Radio and WIP in Philly talks about his memories of Gary Carter and his take on the what the big stories are in Mets and Yankees camp. I will […]

Without Burnett, Yanks Don’t Get a World Series Ring

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

It amazed me how the legacy of A.J. Burnett got worse as the rumors of an impending trade neared. Listening to the fans and media pundits, you would think Burnett is the worst pitcher in baseball. As a matter of fact, there was talk about how this could be the worst free agent signing in Yankees history. […]

Yanks Pitching Depth Won’t Be Hurt by Dealing Burnett

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

In his daily column on February 13th, Mike Silva wrote that trading A.J. Burnett would hurt the Yankees’ pitching depth, especially if the deal was simply a contract dump with no regard to what was received in return. I disagree. To a point. If you look at the Yanks projected 25 man roster, they are at least seven deep […]

Yankees DH: Who Emerges From the Fray?

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Spring camps open this Sunday and the Yankees hope to have their Designated Hitter in tow. We have been debating the topic since the Jesus Montero/Michael Pineda deal. A month later, where does it all shake out? Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero are names connected to the position. There is also a possibility that Brian Cashman could import […]

Trading Burnett For Nothing Hurts Pitching Depth

Monday, February 13th, 2012

You need pitching depth to get through a 162-game schedule. I recently spoke to a big league pitching coach who told me it was important to leave camp with about 18 pitchers  that could realistically contribute at the big league level. Of those 18, you probably need 10 that could start a ballgame. Knowing how important […]

Listen: Spring Training Warmup

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

I return to the airwaves after the Super Bowl hiatus to a content-packed show. Matt Cerrone of Metsblog joins me to discuss Sandy Alderson’s debut on Twitter, the NYBD Mets Hall of Fame results, and the Mets handling of the media. I will give you my thoughts on why trading A.J. Burnett just for salary […]

Why Are Yanks Dumping Burnett For 30-Year Old Platoon Player?

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Garrett Jones is, in fact, the guy NYY want in any Burnett deal with the Pirates,but PIT not interested in moving Jones. No traction so far.Thu Feb 09 23:19:30 via webBuster OlneyBuster_ESPN The rumors of A.J. Burnett going to Pittsburgh are heating up. Buster Olney “tweeted” the Yankees want Garrett Jones in return; something that […]

Can Brian Cashman Trade for a Hitter?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Since the deal that sent Jesus Montero to Seattle for Michael Pineda, we have been discussing which free agent DH makes sense for the Yankees. Names like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, Raul Ibanez, and before he signed with Tampa, Carlos Pena all were debated. There is an internal option such as Jorge Vazquez […]

With Recent Acquisitions, Yanks Need to Rid Themselves of Burnett

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Since Brian Cashman traded Jesus Montero for RHP Michael Pineda, and then signed RHP Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal for $10 million, the Yankees are flush with starting pitchers. It appears that in all the frenzied moments of last Friday, the Yankees lost track of how many major league ready starting pitchers they really […]

How the Pineda Deal Helps A.J. Burnett

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

One winner not discussed in the Yankees blockbuster deal that imported Michael Pineda is A.J. Burnett. We all know that Burnett is paid like a top-of-the-rotation starter, but his performance resembles a typical fifth starter. He’s an inconsistent innings eater that struggles to produce an overall league average performance. With the acquisition of Pineda, Burnett […]

NY Baseball Stock Up/Stock Down Going Into 2012

Friday, December 30th, 2011

I always like to try new things here, so instead of doing a “year in review,” I am doing a “Stock Up/Stock Down” heading into 2012 for New York baseball. This includes a “watch list.” The list could include players, coaches, minor leaguers, and the media. Stock Up  Curtis Granderson - When the Yankees acquired […]

Who Would You Amnesty?

Friday, December 9th, 2011

I think we have done this exercise before, but in the spirit of the NBA being officially back, let’s do it again. The new CBA ratified by the owners and NBA players includes an amnesty clause. In short, teams can waive a player of their choice and stretch the payments out over twice the life […]

Mets Inquired About A.J. Burnett

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Although its early in the offseason a source indicated to me the Mets sent out “feelers” to the Yankees about their interest in a Jason Bay/A.J. Burnett swap. Talks never were engaged as this is not something the Yankees would be interested in doing. Mike Silva adds: Amazing how this was a “what if” scenario […]

’09 Yanks Flex Their Muscles, Take 3-2 Series Lead

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

The script finally played out in Game 5 as many thought many it would on paper, as the 2009 Yankees hit 3 home runs and drubbed the 1973 Mets 7-0 to take a 3-2 lead in the Sim Series. Jerry Koosman started for the Mets on 3-days rest and his rust showed, giving up runs in […]