Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett utilized his limited no-trade clause to nix a deal between New York and Anaheim that would have netted the Yankees Bobby Abreu, according to a report on MLB.com. The report cites industry sources as confirming the information to MLB.com.
Burnett, 35, has looked like the odd man out for the Yankees following the additions of starting pitchers Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. The right-hander is just 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA in three seasons in the Bronx after signing a five-year, $82.5 million deal following the 2008 season.
Abreu, who played in New York from 2006-08, struggled last season with the Angels, hitting .253 with eight home runs and 60 runs driven in. The left-handed Abreu will turn 38 before the season starts and is owed $9 million in 2012—the last year of a three-year, $27 million deal.T
