Well it turns out that the Pirates weren't on that list, and now some baseball guys think this trade could really happen. The Yankees have been trying to get rid of him all offseason, and the Pirates have been looking for another starter. Pittsburgh has shown interest in him in the past, so it would seem like these two teams could revisit this and make something happen.
Buster Olney threw out the possibility that the Pirates could send Garrett Jones to the Yankees for Burnett. I don't know if I would be too thrilled with that possibility, but I'd probably go for it. That would put Casey McGehee at first and leave Pedro Alvarez basically by himself at third, which is shaky ground to walk on. Matt Hague could get some playing time in the majors, but you certainly don't want to have to depend on him at all. Jones for Burnett might not be the best deal for the Pirates, but I don't think it's going to take that to get him.
I think the Pirates could make this deal happen with a minor league player or two and some cash. Just the thought of the Pirates sending cash to the Yankees makes me laugh, but it could really happen.
Again, there hasn't been any reported discussions between these two teams, and this is all on mere speculation, but it certainly makes a lot of sense for both teams.
We'll talk more about statistics and whatnot if this deal actually happens, but it's worth nothing that Burnett got roughed up pretty well last year to the tune of a 5.15 ERA (he had a 5.26 ERA in 2010). He still had good stuff with 8.2 K/9. He doesn't throw his fastball as hard as he used to; it came in at 92.7 miles per hour on average last year. He threw that 4-seamer, a knuckle curve (according to Texas Leaguers), a sinker, a change up, and a cutter last year.
Obviously pitching in the A.L. East will bloat your ERA numbers, and he definitely suffered from a lot of bad luck. His FIP was 4.77 last year and his xFIP was a much better 3.86. He gave up a lot of home runs, which will happen pitching in Yankees stadium, and that hurt him a ton.
If he came to the Pirates, he would be a lot better. Pitching in a much worse offensive division and a better pitcher's ballpark will do wonders for this guy. I think he'd be the Pirates 2nd or 3rd best pitcher easily. This move would definitely improve the 2012 Pirates, and I'm kind of hoping they make the move. Again, I don't really know if I want to lose a big league player like Garrett Jones, but it's definitely worth a look.