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Sunday, July 13, 2008

A.J. Burnett and J.P. Ricciardi locked at the hip

A Ronnie and Donnie Galyon full of fun!

A.J. Burnett and his boss J.P. Ricciardi have more in common that just going by their initials.

Allan James Burnett is heading toward the end of Year 3 of a five-year, $55-million US contract. But the right-hander can opt out at the end of this season.

John Paul Ricciardi is in the first season of a three-year extension, his second. The general manager, who earns more than $1 million each year of the contract, has an out clause and can depart if president Paul Godfrey leaves the Jays.

Ricciardi signed his latest deal on Dec. 6, 2005 in Dallas at the winter meetings, the same week the deal to bring Burnett to the Rogers Centre was finalized.

They were locked at the hip then. They still are today as Burnett starts on short rest this afternoon against the New York Yankees.

Repoz Posted: July 13, 2008 at 01:06 PM | 16 comment(s)
Related News: General, Toronto

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1. Walt Davis Posted: July 13, 2008 at 02:45 PM (#2854995)

Burnett has an interesting opt-out decision to make.

Ricciardi should clearly not opt out. I don't think he'll be there later that July 2009 anyway.

2. Repoz

Posted: July 13, 2008 at 02:58 PM (#2855026)

Sterling...

"A.J. Burnett only pitches well against the Yankees. He has trouble with every other team in baseball."

4-0 1.98 Red Sox
3-2 2.45 Dodgers
7-3 3.42 Nats
5-2 1.84 Gints

No reason for this here....just an ice-creamy Baggypants update.

3. jyjjy Posted: July 13, 2008 at 02:59 PM (#2855027)

You'd think he would opt out considering he is making less than Carlos Silva, but then again this year he is pitching like Carlos Silva...

4. The Bones McCoy of THT Posted: July 13, 2008 at 03:00 PM (#2855029)

Burnett was amazing today:

8.1 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 8 K 98 pitches.

Best Regards

John

5. Justin T Posted: July 13, 2008 at 03:04 PM (#2855040)

Ya, but he was pithing against the Yankees. That's the only team he pitches well against.

6. Russlan wants Pedro to be a Met again Posted: July 13, 2008 at 03:07 PM (#2855046)

If this was an audition, he got the part.

7. Rich Posted: July 13, 2008 at 04:22 PM (#2855176)

Burnett was amazing today...

He was, but the Yankees' often anemic have made too many pitchers look like a CYA winner to give any pitcher too much credit.

8. Rich Posted: July 13, 2008 at 05:55 PM (#2855249)

*cue Animotion's Obsession*

9. Rich Posted: July 13, 2008 at 06:00 PM (#2855252)

Tyler Kepner makes the same point I did, only more articulately:

The Yankees have been so prone to offensive shutdowns that it is not always easy to know when to credit the pitcher. Sunday’s game was the ninth in the last 14 that they have scored two runs or fewer.

10. Matt Clement of Alexandria Posted: July 13, 2008 at 06:19 PM (#2855258)

He was, but the Yankees' often anemic have made too many pitchers look like a CYA winner to give any pitcher too much credit.

The Yankees have scored a perfectly average number of runs. It seems weird to Yankee fans because usually they score a perfectly ridiculous number of runs, but beating the Yankees is not unimpressive - it's a good outing against a normal offense. (And arguably, better than that, because the Yankees still project better than average, I assume.)

11. Biff uses the power of mental thinking Posted: July 13, 2008 at 06:32 PM (#2855263)

I would think that some of the lineups the Yankees have trotted out lately (due to injuries) wouldn't qualify as projecting better than average, but maybe the stars outweigh the scrubs.

12. Rich Posted: July 13, 2008 at 06:32 PM (#2855264)

The Yankees have scored a perfectly average number of runs. It seems weird to Yankee fans because usually they score a perfectly ridiculous number of runs, but beating the Yankees is not unimpressive - it's a good outing against a normal offense. (And arguably, better than that, because the Yankees still project better than average, I assume.)

The Yankees did lead MLB in runs scored in 2007, so I'm not sure that it was foreseeable that they would be on a pace to score so many fewer runs to this point in the season, or that Cano, Abreu, and Jeter would underperform. Plus, it's not merely about aggregate runs scored, it's about the distribution of those runs (see the point Kepner made) and being able to score runs when the team is behind close and late.

13. Rough Carrigan

Posted: July 13, 2008 at 06:46 PM (#2855280)

"A.J. Burnett only pitches well against the Yankees. He has trouble with every other team in baseball."

Why should self pity be limited to situations where it's remotely apt? Just because the team he works for outspends the closest economic rival by 50%, does that mean Sterling can't jam his finger on the "woe is me" "they play harder against us!" button?

14. Matt Clement of Alexandria Posted: July 13, 2008 at 07:03 PM (#2855298)

I'm not sure that it was foreseeable that they would be on a pace to score so many fewer runs to this point in the season, or that Cano, Abreu, and Jeter would underperform

My point is merely that the world contains many bad offenses, and it's wrong to claim that the Yankees are one of them. They've been average, and, as you point out, they're probably going to be better than average going forward, given the number of underperforming players they have.

15. Rich Posted: July 13, 2008 at 07:23 PM (#2855324)

My point is merely that the world contains many bad offenses, and it's wrong to claim that the Yankees are one of them. They've been average...

Part of the reason that they have been, on balance, average offensively is that they have been without key players for weeks at a time. Earlier in the season it was A-Rod and Posada, now it's Damon and Matsui, and that has been exacerbated by too many other players not performing up to expectations. Taken together, it has resulted in the offense appearing to be below average on too many days, which can make one (or perhaps I should confine that to Yankee fans) skeptical about how good any pitcher that faces them is on any given day.

What concerns (or perhaps more accurately, frustrates) me beyond the foregoing is that their hitters don't seem to grind it out v. opposing pitchers, as seen in their OBP between this season (.338) and last season (.366), which has long been a critical aspect of their offensive success.

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