Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 17th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts. Watch for his columns regularly on Sportsnet.ca.

Raise your cap if you are surprised that A.J. Burnett would welcome a trade out of Toronto.

"As of right now I'm a Blue Jay, and I'm going to pitch to the best of my ability as long as I'm part of this club. But if something were to happen and I'd have the opportunity to go to a place where baseball is breakfast, lunch and dinner, that would be awesome. Right now my focus is with this club, but if something like that were to happen, I'd accept it with open arms."

-- Blue Jays starter A.J. Burnett on the weekend.

Are we really shocked that, during a weekend interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, A.J. Burnett finally started loosening the tethers on his uneven and brief Blue Jays career? After all, the enigmatic right-hander, whose 26-22 record with an ERA of 4.09 in 60 starts in two-plus seasons with Toronto, holds a pair of high cards thanks to a five-year, $55 million contract that also included an opt-out clause after the 2008 season.

He can stay and collect the remaining $24 million on the deal that runs out after 2010. Or he can opt-out after this season and hope that there's better money out there for a pitcher who's just three games over .500 on what is now a 10-season career. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, have been dealt a pair of weaker cards. He opts-out and their compensation is draft picks, or they deal him before this season's trade deadline for someone who can hit the ball, especially with runners on base. The $24 million in savings could be better used elsewhere by General Manager J.P. Ricciardi or whoever might be next making the baseball decisions at One Blue Jay Way.

Now, you might ask, why would the Jays want to deal away a pitcher with the best "stuff" in franchise history this side of Dave Stieb? A closer glance at Burnett's stats with the Jays, in which he missed 18 starts due to injury, shows me that he there may have been more sizzle than steak.

No one has ever denied his ability to throw a baseball and throw it hard. Whether or not it found the strike zone was another matter. Burnett is one of those few starters that come around in every generation of pitchers that has the ability to throw a no-hitter every time he takes the mound. He did it once while with the Florida Marlins, back on May 12, 2001 at San Diego. That start proved to be the perfect illustration of his career. Despite no-hitting the Padres, he did allow 10 base-runners (nine walks and one hit batter) and needed 128 pitches to do so, throwing only two more strikes than balls. Mind-boggling numbers if you really think about it.

So now Burnett has stated for the record that he would embrace a trade to the Cubs if it were to happen. And after his mock tipping of the cap to the booing fans after being removed in the fifth inning of a dreadful June 7 start against the lowly Orioles in which 14 of the 27 batters he faced reached, there's any number of people who would give him a ride to the airport. If he'd just accepted his lumps, Burnett would have been better off. In fact, he probably would have been better off to flip the fans the bird instead of mocking them. The one thing about Toronto sports fans is they don't mind you failing if you give it your all. That's why they've always embraced the athletes that have been a little short on talent but long on heart. Current Jays' shortstop John McDonald is one that comes to mind.

Let's face it, the Jays' above-average pitching becomes a wash when coupled with their below-average hitting. That's why they've had a .500 record on 13 different occasions this season. They've lost a bunch of games they should have won this season due to lack of clutch hitting, but have yet win games that they should have lost. So clearly they need to deal for a couple of bats to remedy this and some pitching and/or prospects will have to be sacrificed. That is, of course, if they really think they can make a run at the post-season.

The fact that Burnett started the ball rolling might work in the Jays favour in the end. Whether it's to the Cubs or another contender remains to be seen. But there's the old warning attached: Let the buyer beware. Burnett's overall career record may be 75-72, but his team's record in his appearances is 93-102. Picking up a great arm like Burnett's won't necessarily make you a better team. And in Chicago, five generations removed from their last World Series title, this might not be a good thing.