Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Orioles have had “very preliminary” talks with the Phillies regarding a deal for right-hander A.J. Burnett. No deal appears to be imminent, but Morosi notes there has been some “initial dialogue” about a possible trade.
The Orioles make some sense as a potential destination, as they could use another arm for their starting rotation. They were also among the teams interested in Burnett before he signed with the Phillies in February.
Burnett gave up six runs over five innings against the Braves last night and owns a 4.08 ERA and 113/58 K/BB ratio 136 2/3 innings across 21 starts this season. He’s making $15 million this season (including a $7.5 million signing bonus) while his contract includes a mutual/player option for 2015 which guarantees him at least $7.5 million. He has a limited no-trade clause which allows him to block deals to nine teams, but considering that he owns a home in Maryland, he would likely welcome a trade to Baltimore.