Sunday, February 16, 2014

Phillies make it official with A.J. Burnett

CLEARWATER, FL - The Phillies officially confirmed their one- year, $16 million deal with veteran right-hander A.J. Burnett on Sunday morning.

The contract includs a mutual/player option for 2015, along with performance and award bonuses and a limited no-trade clause.

Burnett made 30 starts for Pittsburgh last season, going 10-11 with a 3.30 earned run average and helping the Pirates clinch their first playoff berth since 1992. He led the National League in strikeouts per nine innings pitched with 9.85.

"To be able to add a pitcher of A.J.'s caliber at this time of year says a lot about our ownership group's commitment to winning," said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. "A.J. will complement Cole (Hamels) and Cliff (Lee) in our rotation and adds another experienced arm to our team."

Burnett has posted at least 10 wins in nine straight years and owns a career record of 147-132 with a 3.99 ERA over 15 seasons for the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Pirates.

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