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| 5th December, 2005 - 3:34 pm | Globe and Mail - J.P. Ricciardi says there is no Plan B for the Toronto Blue Jays when it comes to addressing their starting pitching needs -- and that there is nothing more he can offer free agent A.J. Burnett beyond the guaranteed five-year package they put on the table over the weekend, worth between $52-million and $55-million (all figures U.S.) in base salary.
"If we don't get this guy signed, we'll focus internally on our pitching," the general manager said yesterday after arriving here for baseball's annual winter meetings. "There is no Plan B out there."
Although the Seattle Mariners made a late attempt to get into the picture and the Baltimore Orioles keep flitting around on the fringes of the discussions, both the Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals believe they are the finalists for Burnett, whose agent, Darek Braunecker, was expected to arrive last night after making the four-hour drive from Little Rock, Ark.
"There are other teams still involved," Braunecker said by telephone.
"We haven't made a decision. Really, the whole situation is still pretty fluid."
The Cardinals have offered Burnett a four-year package worth just less than $10-million a year and were not prepared to guarantee an optional fifth year. The Cardinals have a club policy of not guaranteeing pitching contracts beyond three years.
Braunecker said there were no plans for his client to travel to Dallas as of last night. "A.J. will only come here if there's a news conference," he said. [READ] |
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