Is Brian Cashman back to protecting AJ Burnett or is
he trying to drum up interest in his erratic right-hander?
The general manager of the New York Yankees was ostensibly trying
to give the embattled Burnett a vote of confidence at a recent event. But his
use of the word comfortable several times in his comments has me thinking
Cashman is actually less than comfortable with the fact that he will probably
go into spring training with Burnett still on the Yankees roster.
I suspect Cashman’s positive comments about Burnett’s
talent, effort and accountability are actually designed to try to drum up interest
in AJ. I think the Yankees have finally come to the realization that Burnett
will not have the success they envisioned for him in New York and are trying to
move him, even if they have to swallow the vast majority of his salary.
Could I be reading too much into Cashman’s comments?
Absolutely. Plus, I wasn’t there to get a feel for the tone and context of his
words. It’s entirely possible that Cashman truly meant it when he said he will
have AJ’s back, as long as the frustrated Burnett does not give up on himself.
But I can’t help but think that there has been too much
damage done to Burnett’s psyche and reputation for him to remain in New York
much longer. Plus, I don’t think his relationships with Cashman or manager Joe
Girardi is particularly good these days, as they both have taken some of their
harshest hits for defending Burnett, something they must be sick of by now.
Of course, if the Yankees are stuck with Burnett, they
will put the most positive spin on it that they can come spring training. But I
think Cashman is doing his best to spur even the slightest interest from other
baseball teams so that someone else can become Burnett’s defender.
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