Braves confirm offer for pitcher Burnett
Free agent already has huge offer on the table from the Yankees
The Atlanta Braves have joined the battle for free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett.
General Manager Frank Wren confirmed Friday he has made an offer to the former Toronto Blue Jays right hander, who went 18-10 this season before opting out of the final two years of his contract.
No details of the contract offer by the Braves are known, but it will have to be a large one.
New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has reportedly offered Burnett a deal that various reports say runs either four or five years and is worth up to $80-million US.
Burnett led the American League with 34 starts and 231 strikeouts this past season on the way to a 4.07 earned-run average.
Also Friday, Atlanta signed free-agent catcher David Ross, 31, who played 52 games and hit .231 with Cincinnati this past summer before being released in August.
Signed by the Boston Red Sox, Ross appeared in eight games late in the season.
The Braves signed Ross one day after trading their top catching prospect, Tyler Flowers, and three other players to the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and left-handed reliever Boone Logan.
With files from the Associated Press