MLB Fastball 07.05.08: Shopping Burnett For Shortstop

Posted by Neil Borenstein on 07.05.2008

The Toronto Blue Jays are last in the American League East and appear ready to be sellers as the July 31 trade deadline quickly approaches. Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett may be one of their big names on the block, as the Blue Jays are reportedly shopping him for an upgrade at shortstop over both David Eckstein and John McDonald. Neil Borenstein discusses in the latest edition of MLB Fastball.

Burnett On The BlockJays Looking To Deal Starter For Shortstop

Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty ImagesA.J. Burnett may opt out of the final two years of his contract and become a free agent this offseason.

The Toronto Blue Jays appear tired of sitting dead last in the American League East and are ready to make some sort of improvement. Specifically, they are looking to acquire yet another shortstop, of which the team already has at least two. In return, the Blue Jays are shopping right-handed starter A.J. Burnett, according to The Toronto Sun.

Both the fact that Toronto is interested in dealing Burnett and wants another player for shortstop comes a bit out of left field. Though Burnett hasn't had the most dynamite season thus far, he has remained relatively healthy, sports eight wins through 17 starts and ranks third in the American League with 108 strikeouts. And with David Eckstein, John McDonald and even Marco Scutaro available to player the No. 6 spot on the field, it would seem that trading Burnett for another shortstop will just further clog the position.

Alas, there is a reason behind the madness, though. And it does make some sense.

Burnett is currently in the third year of his five-year, $55 million deal and can opt out of the final two years at the end of this season. By doing so, he would become a free agent. Burnett would be leaving $24 million on the table – $12 million each season, but I'm sure he would have little trouble making that, if not more, on the open market. It's not a guarantee Burnett would leave Toronto. But even if he just opted out of the remaining years on his contract, that means the Blue Jays are going to need to pay more to hold onto him. And I think $12 million is more than enough to be paying this guy in the first place. So trading him now is a better move to avoid either paying him more over the offseason or losing him to another team for nothing.

The move would hurt the Blue Jays' rotation this year. But Burnett is really the Blue Jays' fourth best starting option right now, behind Roy Halladay, Shaun Marcum and Jesse Litsch. Plus, the Blue Jays aren't exactly in the playoff chase at the moment, lounging in last place of the very competitive AL East with a 41-45 record (.477) through 86 games – which has them 12 games behind the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. So keeping Burnett won't make all their postseason aspirations a reality.

Dealing him for a shortstop is the trickier part of this situation to understand. But the team has found it difficult to play someone at the position who hasn't struggled in some area of the game. Eckstein has been decent at the plate with a .273 batting average and .360 on-base percentage, but he's had problems in the field with a rather low .957 fielding percentage and nine errors in 52 games. McDonald has seen 16 games worth of action at short and been a bit better in the field. However, he has only seven hits through 43 at-bats for a .163 batting average, and that leaves a lot to be desired. Scutaro has been Cito Gaston's shortstop of choice since reclaiming his role as manager of the team. However, none of these three players are world-beaters at the position on an all-around basis.

Contracts also play a role in this, as well. Eckstein is only playing on a one-year deal, and it would make little sense to re-sign him based on the year he's having. McDonald is on a two-year deal, but he's only going to remain a backup option even if he does re-sign beyond next season.

As Daan Del Kerpel points out in TSN.ca's baseball blog, Double Play, shortstop is one of only four positions on the Blue Jays (left field, catcher and designated hitter are the others) that doesn't have a player signed through or beyond 2010.

"At first base, Lyle Overbay is signed through 2010. Aaron Hill is locked up at second through 2011, not including options that can keep him in Toronto through 2014. Scott Rolen is signed through 2010 and Vernon Wells and Alex Rios are signed in the outfield through 2014, though Wells could opt out after the 2011 season."

Kerpel also notes the following:

• Left field may not even be that much of an issue because Adam Lind will likely become the team's starter there.
  
• Matt Stairs has done a good enough job this season to be a part of the DH plans of the Blue Jays for the final year of his contract in 2009.
  
• Finding a catcher who is consistently good at the plate is a difficult thing to do. And to acquire one, such as Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez and Russell Martin, is going to cost a lot more than a starting pitcher that can still opt out of his deal at the end of the season.
  

So, shortstop has both an immediate and long-term need that isn't particularly present for any of the other position. Trading a starting pitcher that might very well walk away at the end of the season for some security at the shortstop position does make some semblance of sense.

A problem that exists, however, is that the Blue Jays may very well land a shortstop that isn't drastically better than who they already have. For Burnett, general manager J.P. Ricciardi isn't exactly going to land a superstar. The Toronto Sun reports that Philadelphia Phillies scout Charlie Kerfeld checked Burnett out against the Milwaukee Brewers, in which he gave up eight runs in five innings of work. But for as stupid as GM Pat Gillick can be, I don't think he's dumb enough to deal the 2007 NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins. The Baltimore Orioles were also cited as sending a scout to see Burnett. Ted Lekus saw Burnett pitch against the Atlanta Braves last Sunday, when he went seven innings and gave up zero runs and only four hits while striking out 11 batters. But neither Freddie Bynum nor Brandon Fahey is much of an upgrade.

If the Blue Jays are intent on dealing Burnett for a shortstop, the return will likely be a minor league prospect. Even this course of action doesn't really guarantee the Blue Jays are in a better spot than before, since they already have shortstop prospects. BaseballAmerica.com ranks third baseman/shortstop Kevin Ahrens and shortstop Justin Jackson as the team's third and sixth top prospects, respectively. Kerpel mentions Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Brandon Wood, who BaseballAmerica.com considers the 16th best prospect in all of baseball – a list which is a bit messed up considering quite a few of the players have already been in the Majors for a while, such as Evan Longoria (ranked second), Joba Chamberlain (ranked third) and Jacoby Ellsbury (ranked 13th). Regardless, Wood is probably a better option than Ahrens and Jackson. However, Kerpel is quick to say that the Blue Jays and Angels won't necessarily partner in a deal like that, but Wood could be the kind of player that might interest Toronto in a deal.

While what the Blue Jays will get in return is very much up in the air, it's a certainty that they are going to be sellers as the July 31 trade deadline grows near. And Burnett is on the block for any team that's in need of starting pitching and has a shortstop – pro or prospect – they're willing to ship back to Toronto.

Photo Credits – John McDonald: www.daylife.com; David Eckstein: Yahoo! Sports/AP Photo; Brandon Wood: rotorob.com

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Feedback on Shawn Chacon:

Hey man. You pretty much nailed the entire story for the Shawn Chacon situation, but here are a few other things that led to the incident

1) In one of his earlier starts in June, he was struggling in the first inning and Robinson (the pitching coach) came out and Chacon turned his back to him.

2) A few days before the incident, Chacon was told to go and start his bullpen session. He doesn't go then, but does decide to start his session a few innings later.

Anyways, your column is always a great read and keep up the good work.

- Sat

As always, it's nice to get some feedback from the fellow 411'ers. Be sure to check out Sat's most recent High Road/Low Road in the Wrestling Zone, which focuses on Jim Ross' move to Smackdown as a result of the latest WWE Draft.

With relation to Chacon, thanks for the insight into previous issues that led to the situation involving the struggling pitcher assaulting Houston Astros' general manager Ed Wade. Chacon let his problems on the mound get the best of him and went nuts. Unfortunately, it cost him his job. For Astros' fans, though, it might be a blessing in disguise.

Thanks a lot for the feedback, Sat, and everybody keep it coming!

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Send all comments, questions, and suggestions to [e-mail]. Or, post away in the comments section below!

Until next time!

~ Neil Borenstein