Red Sox, Yankees Among Teams Eyeing Burnett

In early September, a rival executive told me that the Red Sox were planning a major push for right-hander A.J. Burnett if he became a free agent.   The Red Sox indeed are interested in Burnett, according to major-league sources. The question is to what extent. The Sox generally resist giving long-term contracts to starting pitchers, the exception being the six-year deal they awarded right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka when he was 26. Burnett turns 32 on Jan. 3. The Yankees intend to offer him a four-year deal, according to one source, not the five-year, $80-million proposal that was reported as a possibility on Tuesday. The Sox, in theory, could sign Burnett for a shorter term with a high average salary. But if Burnett wanted that type of deal, he probably could stay in Toronto. The Jays, though, have yet to even make Burnett an offer; sources on both sides say reports of a four-year, $54 million proposal to the pitcher are inaccurate. Burnett could end up taking the same approach as ... (link)