More and more, there is a sense within the industry that players who have decent offers in hand would be well-served to take the money now (this does not apply to CC Sabathia, by the way, who is unique in this market). A.J. Burnett might be the classic example of this. By all accounts, he had multiple opportunities from which to choose a couple of weeks ago, but already, the landscape seems to be changing. In the aftermath of the death of Jays owner Ted Rogers, Toronto is not necessarily in the same position to sign Burnett to the four-year, $54 million deal that had been discussed. It's only a matter of time before the market price for starting pitchers begins to drop, as it has for corner outfielders and corner infielders.
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Buster Olney
