The Philadelphia Phillies indicated last week that they didn't expect to make too many changes to their roster heading into spring training, but reports indicate that the team still remains interested in free agent right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett, and the team has emerged as the top competition to the Pittsburgh Pirates in trying to land Burnett.
According to MLB.com, sources with knowledge of the Phillies thinking said that the team is still interested in adding Burnett to its rotation before Opening Day.
It's unclear how close the two sides are to striking a deal, but the sentiment coming from the team is much different than what general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. expressed on Friday when he told reporters that his team didn't plan on being too active on the market ahead of spring training.
"It's more likely we'll go in with what we've got," Amaro said per MLB.com on Friday. "There aren't a chock full of opportunities. It's a possibility, but as I said, we'll probably go with what we've got and see what happens over the course of the spring."
The Phillies are reportedly looking to land Burnett to be the No.3 starter behind Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels while Kyle Kendrick is also due to figure into the starting rotation.
The Phillies main competition is the Pirates, who are looking to retain Burnett, who went 10-11 with them in 2013 with a 3.30 ERA and 209 strikeouts. Over the last two seasons with the Pirates, Burnett has gone 26-21.
It remains to be seen where Burnett will ultimately end up, but while the Baltimore Orioles came up as a potential suitor for him it seems as though the competition has narrowed to the two Pennsylvania teams.
Burnett, 37, was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 amateur draft but has never played for them. Over the course of a 15-year MLB career, Burnett has appeared in 375 games including stints with the Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Pirates.
Burnett is 147-132 in his career with a 3.99 ERA and 2,180 strikeouts.
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