A.J. Burnett is returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he pitched in 2013 and apparently enjoyed himself enough that he's taking less money than he could have gotten elsewhere to come back in 2015.
The Pirates inked Burnett to a one-year deal that's worth $8.5 million, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.
That's a fair enough price for Burnett, 37, who didn't have a great year in 2014 with the haggard Philadelphia Phillies, carrying a 4.59 ERA and losing 18 games. But still threw 213 innings, and that matters. The Pirates are hoping they'll get the 2013 version of Burnett, who helped them into the playoffs and had a 3.30 ERA in 30 starts.
What makes Burnett's return to Pittsburgh even more interesting is that he could have made another $4.25 million to pitch in Philly again. He had a $12.75 million option with the Phillies that he declined. Does this mean the Phillies are so bad these days someone will give up $4.25 million rather than play there? Ouch, looks like it.
But Burnett does love Pittsburgh, his agent says, and these tidbits from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal prove it:
Plus, if Burnett's interested in chasing another World Series ring (and aren't they all?) he'll definitely have a better chance of doing that away from Philadelphia.
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