I'm a bit disappointed to see him go, but I think his contract with the Yankees has the potential to work out very badly.  With his history, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to pay him until he's 37.

I thought the contract, and Ryan's, were bad news when signed, but assuming that Ryan pitches well / brings something back in a trade, both seem to have worked out well.

And I second the idea that this AJs contract could look really bad in a few years.

But do the Yanks even care?  Every off season it seems to me they just want to put the best team possible on the field NEXT YEAR and then swallow the sunk costs at the end of the contract if necessary (all while keeping the best free agents out of the hands of the competition).  I'm not so sure, given their resources, that it's a bad strategy.

The Yanks can afford about $50m of dead salary on their books every year, so the injury concern isn't a problem for them (not as much).  I think it's overstated anyway.  He must have made 85 starts over the past three years?

As Yogi might say about the oft injured Mr Burnett; "Dat kid, you know the AJ guy...he's frigin' unhitable except when he ain't."

I always felt his pieces, when healthy were superior to his overall results. However, I wish his various pieces were still pitching for the Jays.

I voted glad because he had a fairly successful three years. I am also glad that the team could take one more large salary off the books without having to dump salary. Kevin Towers was put into a terrible bargaining position this offseason. I am glad JP doesn't have to do forced selling.

How about a little bit of all of the above?

Neutral in feelings towards him but wanting to see him crash and burn in New York.

I just wish I didn't buy this Burnett jersey.  Where am I going to wear it now?

I envision a "Jeff Weaver"-like tenure for Mr. Burnett in the Gotham City.  Actually, I think that's fairly accurate:  they're both provintial rubes with fragile psyches.  It stretches credulity to think that Burnett will somehow flourish in that atmosphere.

My reaction to his departure: when I gave the signing of Burnett 3 years ago a "1", the lowest rating, I was completely wrong in hindsight.  He performed as I expected, but the market went up and his contract ended up being totally reasonable and then he opted out at just the right time for the club.  It is always better if a pitcher leaves a year too early, than a year too late.

One of the non-tenders was Scott Mathieson who is a double TJ surgery guy.  You could sign him to a minor league contract and send him to Las Vegas with Matt Clement.  Buying pitchers in bulk is a tried and true strategy. Plus, he's from Vancouver and there's nothing like a little CanCon...

I think Burnett will be more than fine.
It's really up to him whether he wants to be a 3.85 ERA pitcher or whether he wants to be a perennial Cy Young contender.
I think that unlike Millwood and the other guys who fell off the map, Burnett has a tremendous arm and given what Smoltz has been able to do at an advanced age, Burnett will be firing 97 mph heaters until the end of the contract.

The one thing keeping him from turning into the best pitcher on the planet is his refusal to learn how to pitch. I think a changeup would make his game similar to Santana's and possibly even better. If he could work on his erratic curveball too, he could win a couple of Cy Young's during the life of that contract. As a baseball fan, I'd love to see it but as a Jays fan I would be devastated!

The team's median IQ just went up a few points.

This guy doesn't have the head to be a big time ace.

Burnett will do fine in NY. He'll probably not make 30 starts year in and year out, but I think he gets unfairly criticized for that - I'd rather have a pitcher not pitch when he is hurt and risk a more serious injury.

I hope the someone in NY can convince AJ to use his change up more, whenever his curve wasn't working he could be very hittable. His nail problem at the beginning of the year lead to a lot of his early-season ineffectiveness.

Also, if it turns out that Rivera is injured, AJ would be an amazing closer... not the best use of his money, but I always thought he'd be excellent in the role and NY doesn't need to spend wisely.

Christaylor's comment about Burnett closing is apt.  Given the length of Burnett's contract, his injury history and Rivera's age, it is conceivable that Burnett ends up as an ace reliever in New York.  You could do worse.

Burnett has very good splits for the first inning as well, holding opponents to a .540 OPS for his career, and even lower in 2008 - maybe he's a closer in waiting, after another few elbow twinges and Rivera just getting bored and retiring (seriously, has everyone looked at his numbers from this year - it was likely his best year ever. And that's saying something for the best reliever ever) after pitching 70 scoreless innings in 2010.

I'm sorry to see Burnett go - he was part of the best rotation the Jays have had in a long time, and has been reliable in his own way  - gives lots of innings when he does pitch (about 6.5 innings/start, which is very good), is solidly above average. As for the injuries - with a team like the Jays, who have had replacement level pitching available for the last few years in the minors, I'd rather have a guy own up to pain and miss a few starts. Burnett pitching through pain isn't going to be much better than generic replacement X from Syracuse/Las Vegas/wherever the AAA team is now. And it did allow a few guys to get a shot at the rotation that wouldn't otherwise. Completely healthy pitching creates other problems, sometimes.

I'm not sure why people criticize Burnett for what essentially is a lack of command - that's as much a talent as being able to throw 95mph. There are a rare few who master both location and velocity, and they usually end up looking at the HoF or close to it (Randy Johnson, Schilling, Clemens, Smoltz).  It's more obvious to the average fan that they can't personally throw 90 mph, but the average fan can't hit a stop sign 60-70% of the time from 60 feet away either. Control is a skill that some are better at naturally, as much as pitching velocity is.

Burnett a closer? Never thought about it. But I think the above comment about his at-least-occasional lack of command is what would keep him from being Mo's replacement. Smoltz did it -- he's even listed as an example above -- because he could throw hard and had a consistent idea where it was going.

If Burnett pitches in the rotation for four years and wins 55-60 games total over that time, the Yankees will consider it One of Their Best Free Agent Signings Ever.