Starting Pitcher: The Four-Year Deal, at Minimum
According to Jon Heyman at SI.com, ‘the Yankees will not be in the ballpark,’ if they offer Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett contracts worth $60 million over four years, as they intend to do.
Instead, Heyman believes Burnett is seeking a five-year deal, while Lowe is reportedly seeking a ‘Zito-like Deal,’ as was reported by FoxSports.com earlier in the week.
That said, the Blue Jays may be willing to give Burnett a five-year deal, reports the Toronto Sun.
…from what i can gather, lowe is more concerned with the dollar amount than the years…he is far more likely to accept a four-year, $70 million deal from a team on the East Coast, than he is to accept a five– or six-year deal worth less per season…the buzz around lowe suggests he would like to retire at or around his 40th birthday, and would like to sign with a team who has a spring training facility near his home in Florida…
In a poll earlier this week on MetsBlog.com, 48 percent of voters said they are only willing to give Lowe a three-year contract, while 36 percent would go as high as four years.
Meanwhile, 12 percent would not sign him at all, and less than three percent are willing to give him a deal over four years.
