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Burnett and Yankees Reach 5-Year Deal

A.J. Burnett pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays in April at Yankee Stadium. Credit...Barton Silverman/The New York Times

Early Friday night, the Yankees announced two roster moves. There was no mention of A. J. Burnett or C. C. Sabathia, but the team effectively sent eviction notices to players occupying the roster spots of those star pitchers. Chris Britton and Justin Christian were not tendered contracts, and the underlying message was unmistakable: it is time to make way for the big boys.

Two days after reaching an agreement with Sabathia on a seven-year, $161 million contract, the Yankees came to terms with another projected anchor for their starting rotation. Burnett, the talented but injury-prone right-hander, agreed to a five-year, $82.5 million deal.

Like Sabathia, Burnett will not officially become a Yankee until he passes a physical exam and until final contract details are complete. But the Yankees have shown again how serious they are about correcting the major deficiency that kept them from the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Only two Yankees made more than 20 starts last season — Mike Mussina, who retired, and Andy Pettitte, who met with General Manager Brian Cashman in Houston on Thursday but has yet to accept a one-year, $10 million offer to return. The rotation needed major renovations, and the Yankees are nearly finished.

Burnett turns 32 next month, which if Pettitte does not return would make him the oldest member of a suddenly imposing rotation in which none of the pitchers can be considered past his prime. Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang are 28, and Joba Chamberlain is 23.

Still, Wang tore a tendon in his foot last season, and Chamberlain hurt his shoulder. Burnett is no stranger to injuries himself. He has been on the disabled list 10 times in 10 years, with a career-high of 12 victories until last season, when he went 18-10 with a 4.07 earned run average for the Toronto Blue Jays.

In late September, some Yankees players dined with Burnett, knowing that he could be a free agent. Burnett had dominated the Yankees on the field, and he made a strong impression in person, too. He opted out of his contract in November and attracted interest from several teams.

The Yankees first seemed more interested in Derek Lowe, but Lowe, at age 35, wanted $18 million a season. In Burnett, who also drew strong interest from the Atlanta Braves, the Yankees chose a different kind of pitcher.

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By adding A.J. Burnett, above, and C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees have filled four of the five spots in their rotation. Credit...Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Lowe is an older ground-ball specialist who never gets hurt. Burnett is a younger power pitcher who often gets hurt, the classic risk-reward gamble. Four years ago, the Yankees signed Carl Pavano after an 18-victory season, despite a history of injuries. Pavano broke down almost immediately.

“After the Pavano thing — I know he’s got better stuff than Pavano, but I guess they were really anxious to rebuild that rotation,” said one American League scout, who was granted anonymity so he could speak candidly about another team.

“One thing about Burnett, though, is that a lot of free agents or potential-trade guys seem to be leery of pitching in the American League. It seems like the money was relatively even with Atlanta, and this is a guy who’s staying, and who performed in the American League East. That’s pretty important.”

At the winter meetings in Las Vegas this week, Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker, said Burnett had not had a structural injury since having reconstructive elbow surgery in 2003, adding that his last injury — a sore shoulder in 2007 — was due to overuse.

Most important, Braunecker said, was Burnett’s maturation as a pitcher, knowing when to throw his fastball at 98 miles an hour and when to pitch at a slower speed. His work between starts has also gotten more sophisticated.

“He’s at that point now where he’s finally figured out it’s a 162-game grind,” Braunecker said, “and there are certain ways you have to go about maintaining yourself during the course of a season.”

Burnett has been at his best against the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. He is 5-0 with a 2.56 E.R.A. in eight career starts against Boston, and he is 6-3 with a 2.43 E.R.A. in 11 starts against the Yankees, including 3-1 last season. Whenever the Yankees faced him, their hitters seemed to be in awe.

“He was throwing pellets,” Alex Rodriguez said in August after Burnett struck out 13 in eight innings to beat the Yankees, 2-1. “He was 0-2 on everybody, throwing in the high- to mid-90s, and then he had a snake for a breaking ball. Give him credit.”

Burnett finished as the A.L. leader in strikeouts, with 231, and ranked third in innings, with 221 1/3. It was the third season of a five-year, $55 million deal with Toronto that included the opt-out clause he exercised. Burnett went 10-8 in each of the first two seasons of the contract, making 21 starts the first season and 25 the next.

In his career, Burnett is 87-76 with a 3.81 E.R.A. Drafted by the Mets in 1995, he was traded to Florida for Al Leiter in 1998.

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