How Foreign the Game of Baseball is Sometimes

Even to so-called "experts."  I will admit right now that I'm about to pick on a writer by cherry-picking (pickity, pick, pick) on one thing he wrote, but onward I plunge.

In this article ESPNNewYork.com writer Wallance Matthews writes about the pending AJ Burnett trade between the Yankees and Pirates.  I'll go ahead of give Mr. Matthews the benefit of the doubt here and assume he's informed and intelligent when it comes to baseball, but even so, he manages to offer up this gem a little past halfway into the article.

"The Pirates' highest-rated prospect, right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole, is not among the players being offered in the deal."

You don't say Wally?  You mean the Pirates aren't willing to part with last year's #1 overall pick who can't even be traded according to MLB rules for another six months (for the record, that's not entirely true because he could be traded as a Player to be Named Later - I believe as of today actually.  Even utilizing the PTBNL route, he would be unable to join the Yankees organization till mid-August, effectively ruining this year of development for him) for A.J. Burnett.  This is A.J. Burnett we are talking about. You know the pitcher with the amazing stuff who was very good for the Marlins for four years.  Oh wait, that was the early 2000's? Oh wait, he's actually the dude who basically sucked the last two years? I don't even need fancy stats to prove that.  He hasn't had an ERA under 5 over the course of a full year since last decade.  Granted, he did put up an xFIP of 3.86 last year, so maybe a change of scenery would turn him back into a mid-rotation starter.  Surely that potential is still there for such a young player like A.J... Oh he turned thirty-five last month? Hmm... Nevermind.  At least he's fairly cheap.  Worth what he makes if he can improve a bit.  Oh, he's owed 16.5 million dollars for each of the next two years? Crap.

Well...Mr. Matthews didn't say Cole White wasn't being offered in the deal.