Pirates Rumors: AJ Burnett trade update, player option a problem

In today's Pirates rumors and news update, the Pittsburgh Pirates have no interest in trading for former ace and current Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher AJ Burnett if he intends on picking up his $12.75 million player option for 2015.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, "the option is for $7.5 million at its minimum, but just 32 games started brings it up to $2.75 million, which would be a budget buster for Pittsburgh."

In truth, the Pirates' current interest in Burnett is lukewarm, so a refusal by Burnett to decline the 2015 player option might just end the possibility of a reunion altogether.

The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted to re-sign Burnett after the 2013 season, but he ended up breaking the bank in Philly with a $16 million salary for 2014 along with the aforementioned player option.

Burnett has been inconsistent for the majority of this season, leading to a 6-9 record with a 3.86 ERA. The Orioles and Yankees also expressed interest prior, but both seem content in looking elsewhere.

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