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Free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett has agreed to a one year, $8.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jon Heyman.
Burnett, who turns 38 in January, pitched for the Pirates from 2012-13, before leaving to sign as a free agent with the Phillies for 2014 for $15 million. He had a $12.75 million player option for 2015, but turned that down, apparently opting to leave money on the table in order to have control over where he would pitch next year, rather than being stuck in Philly, or being dealt to a team he found less palatable.
Burnett would have, conceptually, been an intriguing option for the Rangers to consider, but he has in recent years made clear his preference to pitch for a team on the East Coast or, at least, in the eastern part of the United States, and Texas obviously doesn't fit that bill.
