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First Pitch: A.J. Burnett Would Not Upgrade the Pirates Rotation

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Here are the numbers for two pitchers. One of these pitchers is seen as a potential mid-season upgrade for the Pirates, and a guy who could help them for a playoff run. The other pitcher is a guy who is currently in the Pirates’ rotation, and who a lot of fans would have as the top candidate to be moved to the bullpen or traded away.

Player A: 3.92 ERA / 4.04 xFIP

Player B: 4.07 ERA / 4.23 xFIP

You can tell by the title that one of these is going to be A.J. Burnett. He’s actually Player A. The other player? Edinson Volquez. And the difference between the two? If Volquez had two fewer earned runs, he’d have a better ERA this season than Burnett. The advanced metrics show that the two aren’t far off with their performances this year.

There has been some talk about the Pirates possibly being interested in bringing back Burnett in a trade. Considering his performance this year, that’s a move that wouldn’t make sense.

Here are some other numbers. These are the Pirates’ starters, ranked by xFIP, with Burnett included (updated with Vance Worley’s start tonight).

1. Francisco Liriano – 3.49

2. Jeff Locke – 3.55

3. Gerrit Cole – 3.60

4. Charlie Morton – 3.78

5. Vance Worley – 3.89

6. Brandon Cumpton – 3.93

7. A.J. Burnett – 4.07

8. Edinson Volquez – 4.23

At the moment, Burnett would be the seventh best option for the Pirates. There are some disclaimers here. We’re dealing with a small sample size for Worley, and we don’t really know what he can do over the long-run. So far he has looked good, but it has only been four starts. Locke is also dealing with a small sample size, although bigger than Worley, and his stuff backs up the stats. Also, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano haven’t been putting up results as good as their advanced metrics. But realistically, Burnett isn’t replacing those guys.

It makes sense why Burnett would be appealing. He has been a good pitcher in his career. He posted great numbers with the Pirates. But that’s what he did in the past. It’s not what he could do for the Pirates now. Right now, Burnett is no better than the fifth or sixth best options in Pittsburgh. Add to that the fact that he’s owed about $8 M the rest of the year, and will be owed at least $7.5 M next year, and it sounds like an expensive way to get slightly better production than what Volquez is putting up. I haven’t even considered what he could cost in prospects.

I believe that the reason Burnett is struggling this year is due to a hernia injury. That’s a valid reason for his issues. The problem is that he doesn’t plan to have surgery until the off-season. Right now his strikeout rate is way down, his walks are up, and his ground ball rate is down. He’s not the pitcher he was the last two seasons. And if it’s because of that injury, then you shouldn’t expect him to return to being that pitcher.

Burnett is a 37-year-old pitcher who is currently hurt, has poor numbers, will probably need surgery in the off-season, and hasn’t been much better than the current internal options. He’s owed at least $15.5 M, and would also come with a cost in prospects.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Pirates to consider a rotation upgrade. But right now, Burnett is not an upgrade. The A.J. Burnett that was in Pittsburgh the last two years would have been an upgrade to this current staff. Unfortunately, that A.J. Burnett isn’t around this year.

Links and Notes

**Austin Meadows Has His Rehab Transferred to Bristol

**Prospect Watch: Allie Homers, Lambo Returns, Huge Game Off the Bench From Rojas

**Barrett Barnes Progressing Nicely, Andrew Lambo Returns to Action

**Minor League Schedule: Brandon Cumpton Starts For Indianapolis Tonight

International Signings

**2014 Pittsburgh Pirates International Signing Tracker

**Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Pitcher Roger Santana

**Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Pitcher Adonis Pichardo

**Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Eighth International Prospect

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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