The Yankees and pitcher AJ Burnett have reached a preliminary agreement on a five-year, $82.5 million contract, according to ESPN.

aj burnett yankee uniform

Over the past few days, the word was that it was down to the Atlanta Braves and the Yankees after both teams guaranteed a fifth year.

The Post has a pretty good rundown of how it happened. Essentially it came down to money, and the Yankees offered a bit more. Part of it is that Burnett has a ranch near Baltimore, which is a three-and-a-half-hour car ride away.

With Burnett in the mix, the Yankees have a pretty good rotation in the making. Boasting CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees have potentially one of the elite rotations in the league.