A.J. Burnett?

[seahawksfan234]

I usually leave ESPN on in the background and his name come up on the ticker and I thought to myself, why don't the Mariners sign him?

They're obviously not willing to make any large commitments anymore and Burnett has not had a ton of interest and due to his age will likely only land a 1 year contract, so why not offer him a deal?

The Mariners need a #3 pitcher and over his last 61 starts, Burnett has an ERA of 3.41.

I think A.J. Burnett could give us a solid year at a reasonable price, he kind of strikes me as one of those value signings that could pay off really well for us this year.

 

[NWinAZ]

I don't think he will come cheap. I doubt he gets a multi year deal, at least not more than 2 years, but probably gets around $14M per. With that said, I like him and think he fits perfectly at #3. Sign him then get a lefty like Maholm or Capuano to balance things a bit and then work on the bullpen.

 

[Banned 10x]

This might be why

Mariners To Sign Scott Baker

By Steve Adams [January 29 at 12:34pm CST]
12:34pm: Baker has already passed his physical, and the deal will be announced later today, [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]428596806054723584[/MEDIA]"]tweets[/ame] Greg Johns of MLB.com.
12:17pm: The Mariners have agreed to terms with right-hander Scott Baker on a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Baker, who is represented by Octagon, will earn $1MM if he makes the team and can earn up to $3.25MM more via incentives, according to Cotillo ([ame="[MEDIA=twitter]428592287677808641[/MEDIA]"]Twitter[/ame] [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]428593498493710336[/MEDIA]"]links[/ame]).
The 32-year-old Baker underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 2012 season -- his walk year with the Twins. He inked a one-year, $5.5MM contract with the Cubs last offseason, but persistent setbacks in his recovery limited him to three starts late in the season.
Baker's last significant big league action came in 2011, and it was also the best work of his career. In 134 innings for the Twins that season, the former second-round pick posted a 3.14 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. Strong command and K/BB numbers have been typical of Baker throughout his career, as evidenced by his lifetime 3.4 K:BB ratio. Baker's skill-set seems to be fitting of Safeco Field; the extreme fly-ball pitcher has just a 34 percent ground-ball rate for his career.
Should Baker make the rotation out of Spring Training, he'll slot in behind aces Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Top prospect Taijuan Walker and right-hander Erasmo Ramirez are also candidates for the rotation, and the Mariners have been said to be on the lookout for a veteran starter to add to the mix as well (presumably, Baker is not that arm).

 

[NWinAZ]

I pretty much figured that deal was going to get done with all the talk last week of the M's going cheap. I have no problem with it IF it is an additional move and not the only SP move.

The same goes for the Hart signing. Good signing as a bonus pickup, but not so good if that is the Cano follow up move. Time will tell.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I don't think he will come cheap. I doubt he gets a multi year deal, at least not more than 2 years, but probably gets around $14M per. With that said, I like him and think he fits perfectly at #3. Sign him then get a lefty like Maholm or Capuano to balance things a bit and then work on the bullpen.

Bartolo Colon got a 2 year $20m deal and was coming off of a better year, although Bartolo is older I figured a 1 year deal around $10m or so would be around what Burnett would get. Perhaps I am underestimating what Burnett would get but I figure something along those lines.

Scott Baker is no sure thing. As AZ said, it is a good bonus signing, but I'm not sure how confident I am slotting Baker in as a SP.

If the Mariners don't intend on supplementing the Cano signing eventually I feel like will have been a horrendous mistake.

 

[Podunkparte]

Bartolo Colon got a 2 year $20m deal and was coming off of a better year, although Bartolo is older I figured a 1 year deal around $10m or so would be around what Burnett would get. Perhaps I am underestimating what Burnett would get but I figure something along those lines.

Scott Baker is no sure thing. As AZ said, it is a good bonus signing, but I'm not sure how confident I am slotting Baker in as a SP.

If the Mariners don't intend on supplementing the Cano signing eventually I feel like will have been a horrendous mistake.

Yeah, I still think Colon was the perfect fit signing that got away

 

[NWinAZ]

I see Burnett getting a 1/$14M or 2/$25M. Not sure why I think this, but that is what comes to my mind.

 

[unlvmariners]

I don't think we will be in on Burnett. I agree with AZ that Burnett would get around 12-14 mill. because of that I don't think the M's will want to spend the money.

The Baker signing is fine with me but we still need to bring in another SP and a reliable one.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I see Burnett getting a 1/$14M or 2/$25M. Not sure why I think this, but that is what comes to my mind.

Seeing as how the Mariners have the money to afford Nelson Cruz suddenly, I'd rather them spend the money on Burnett for a year.

 

[cezero]

love the baker deal

 

[mcnabb7542]

I don't think we will be in on Burnett. I agree with AZ that Burnett would get around 12-14 mill. because of that I don't think the M's will want to spend the money.

The Baker signing is fine with me but we still need to bring in another SP and a reliable one.

MLB Network was talking about possible teams that would give him a shot, (Burnett) the rumors were believe it or not the Yankees, on of the guys did say Burnett to Seattle would be a perfect fit...

 

[wazzu31]

I just don't see the fit with Burnett for that money at all. It makes much more sense I believe to live with the younger guys with their ups and downs and spend the money elsewhere than live with Burnett's up and downs.

 

[NWinAZ]

I don't think he will come cheap. I doubt he gets a multi year deal, at least not more than 2 years, but probably gets around $14M per. With that said, I like him and think he fits perfectly at #3. Sign him then get a lefty like Maholm or Capuano to balance things a bit and then work on the bullpen.

I was only $2M off. He got a one year, $16M deal. For a team not wanting long term debt, it is a solid move.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I was only $2M off. He got a one year, $16M deal. For a team not wanting long term debt, it is a solid move.

Looks like you were right. A tad surprised he got $16m but good call, NWinAZ.

 

[NWinAZ]

It just seemed that teams would pay more for one year of service than for multiple years per. They just don't want long term commitment in a lot of cases. Good strategy. I wanted M's to do more of this. Say sign Cruz for 1 year $15M. If he doesn't work out, contract over and no further dead money. Is he worth $15M? No, but in this case it works for both.