With the signing of A.J. Burnett by the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, the seemingly never ending saga of whether or not Burnett would be a Pittsburgh Pirate in 2014 came to a merciful conclusion. A one-year offer worth $16 million predictably changed Burnett’s tune in regards to his claims of “Pirates or retirement.” With Burnett moving on, its fair to say the Pirates offseason, which began with promise and excitement fans have rarely experienced in over 20 years, has reached a point of total disappointment.
Whether Burnett should have been brought back in 2014 can be debated. Teams like the Phillies seemingly spend Monopoly money, and Burnett’s contract does little to put a dent in their payroll of nearly $200 million. This payroll is bankrolled in no small part by a newly signed TV deal with Comcast that will net the Phillies upwards $2.5 billion, an eye-popping sum certainly.
No one would ever believe that even if the Pirates were not owned by the notoriously frugal Bob Nutting, the Pirates could ever have such a luxury to spend indiscriminately in league of haves and have not’s. Sadly, in Pittsburgh, every dollar seems to count, and this offseason is a sobering reminder of it.
With an estimated payroll going into Spring Training of approximately $75 million, the Pirates do not have the advantage of simply throwing money at problems. Savvy moves and building the organization from within have been the key to the Pirates success, and the work of GM Neal Huntington building this team from the ground up, not with unlimited payrolls, is worthy of praise. With a minor league system now considered by many to be the best in baseball, its hard not to love Huntington’s work. However, specifically looking at the Burnett situation, one has to ask, did the Pirates make the right choice letting Burnett walk?
The biggest problem with all of this was the Pirates losing Burnett when it could be argued a qualifying offer could have been made. The Phillies ended up paying $2 million more than the qualifying offer would have cost, and there is no guarantee Burnett would have accepted the offer anyway. Maybe he does. Does $14 million hurt the Pirates that much? If it does, thats pretty disheartening. Instead of spending $5 million on Edinson Volquez, who has been abysmal the past three seasons, why not tender Burnett and see if he bites?
Without a qualifying offer made, the Phillies get Burnett and the Pirates get nothing. When draft picks and in house talent is the life blood of your organization, it would have made a lot of sense to get a 1st round pick from the Phillies for signing Burnett. Now, there is no recourse. A team that could possibly be competing with the Pirates for a playoff spot just signed away one of your starters, and that might end up being a real problem if players like Volquez, Jeff Locke or highly-touted prospect Jameson Taillon are unable to fill in productively for Burnett.
The flip side to all of this is one can speculate that the Pirates simply were not interested in bringing Burnett back, and that it did not necessarily have to do with money. Clint Hurdle is a big believer in a chemistry and a stable clubhouse, and its easy to conclude, to me, at least, that Hurdle did not want Burnett back under any circumstances. Hurdle certainly has earned collateral after last year’s success, but if this team falters, you better believe he will face tough questions in regards to Burnett. Some might ask if Hurdle’s ego got in the way of what was best for the Pirates ability to win and compete.
As for Burnett in Philly, this will be fun to watch. We will see if money solves all problems, or if money just invited problems to the City of Brotherly Love. Burnett for one, is not exactly thick-skinned and has a track record of imploding in a tough media market; just look at his time with the Yankees. When things go poorly, and they will at some point, it will be interesting to see if Burnett goes off the rails dealing with the harsh realities of the Philadelphia media. Philadelphia fans have a well earned reputation of not exactly being patient or forgiving during tough times, and Burnett better be ready to deliver, not implode like he did in St. Louis in the NLDS.
If we have learned anything about Burnett over the years, we know he’s capable of being an elite pitcher who can help you win, but he can also blow up and implode when things get too tough. For the Phillies, theres not a lot of risk. If he fails, they move on and throw cash at the next free agent. For Burnett, however, this is a big risk. He was well received in Pittsburgh, and he had earned a reputation among fans for being a critical component in the Pirates success. Now, he will have the burden of expectations in a city that expects to win or else. He will face significant criticism if he falters, and I am sure a lot of Pirates fans will have no problem seeing him fail.
