Which way the Blue Jays go in 2009 could depend on how right-hander A.J. Burnett goes.
Burnett, who has announced he is opting out of the final two years of his five-year deal with the Jays, has officially jumped into the free agent pool. Whether he decides to return to the Jays, who are said to be willing to add two years and $30 million to his existing deal, or go elsewhere is a 50-50 proposition. There are no indications that Burnett is eager to leave Toronto. The thinking is he'll test the free market, see what it brings, and then get back to the Jays to field their final offer.
If Burnett decides to leave, the thinking once was the Jays would use his remaining $24 million and recycle it back into the free agent market to acquire pitching or offense. But that may not happen. Another scenario has them reducing their payroll from last year's $100 million range, moving assets such as closer B.J. Ryan and right fielder Alex Rios and retooling for a future run.
"You're going to look at this year depending on how the cards play with someone like A.J. Burnett," interim CEO Paul Beeston said. "It would certainly give you an indicator of which direction you're going to go in. What do you do then? Do you say, 'Now I've got this money from A.J., do we go spend that right away?' Or do we say, 'Just a minute, I think I'm going to stay out of the market, I'm going to wait for the market to kind of stabilize and the team is better.'"
By the winter meetings, it will be clear which way the Jays will go.
