Cashman Admits To Possible Burnett Trade

Nov 2, 2011 8:12 AM

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman fueled trade rumors involving right-hander A.J. Burnett during a conference call on Tuesday. When asked about Burnett's role with the team next season, Cashman said "If he's with us, without a doubt he's in the rotation." Burnett, who will be 35 in January, has two years and $33 million remaining on his contract, which will likely make a trade difficult. The deal also includes a partial no-trade clause. "He's given us about 200 innings the last two years and there's value in that, at the very least," Cashman said of Burnett. "He's got a great deal of ability, he stays healthy, he's accountable and he's worked his tail off. Obviously, he's had to deal with adversity because of his inconsistent performance. He hasn't shied away from it [and] he still stepped up in October and secured one of our only two wins in that Tiger series. ... I'm still optimistic we can get all that from him and that better days are ahead."

New York Post