Yankees Trade A.J. Burnett to Pirates for Two Minor League Prospects

The New York Yankees completed a trade that sent A.J. Burnett, a starting pitcher who had a 21-26 record the past two seasons, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor league prospects.

The Yankees said in a news release they also gave an undisclosed amount of cash to the Pirates.

The teams agreed on the deal two days ago, with the Yankees paying about $18 million of the remaining $31.1 million on Burnett’s contract, ESPN said. The trade required approval from Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, it said.

The Yankees signed Burnett to a five-year, $82.5 million contract before the 2009 season, making him at the time the fourth-highest-paid pitcher in baseball, according to a USA Today salary database. In three seasons in New York, Burnett went 34-35 with a 4.79 earned run average.

Burnett, 35, went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA last year, when he allowed a career-high 31 home runs and set a franchise record with 25 wild pitches, the most by any major league pitcher since the start of the 2000 season.

The Yankees get 25-year-old right-handed relief pitcher Diego Moreno and 20-year-old outfielder Exicardo Cayones from the Pirates for Burnett.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net