The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to be one of the busiest teams in baseball as the trade deadline approaches. Their season is in the tank, and they have a roster of veteran players that haven’t gelled as a whole, but may be able to provide a big boost to contending teams. One player in particular, starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, is of interest to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Last season Burnett served as the Pirates’ ace, posting a 10-11 record with a 3.30 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. The season prior, Burnett was 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. This season has been rougher on Burnett, with an ERA over 4.00 in Philadelphia’s hitter-friendly ballpark, but that hasn’t curbed the Pirates enthusiasm about adding him.
As I just said on @AmericasPregame, the Pirates have shown interest in two Phillies pitchers, A.J. Burnett and Antonio Bastardo. @FOXSports1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 21, 2014
The Pirates’ rotation is missing young ace Gerrit Cole, leaving the underperforming Francisco Liriano as the current ace with an uninspiring group of veterans filling in the blanks. They have managed to remain in the National League Central race, however, siting 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead and two games out of the final wild card spot.
The Pirates also reportedly have interest in Philadelphia’s left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo, who currently has a record of 4-3, with a 3.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 10.9 strikeout-per-nine rate.
The Pirates could have competition for Burnett though in the form of the Baltimore Orioles. According to reports, the Orioles have had “preliminary talks” with the Phillies about the right-hander, but "no substantial progress made yet."
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