The first big splash of the winter meetings has happened as the Toronto Blue Jays have signed A.J. Burnett to a reported five-year, $55 million dollar contract.
It looks like the East is becoming much more competitive. Burnett is a Jay now, and we could see some more quality arms go to teams like the Yankees and Orioles.
Burnett "chucks," but I'll take Josh Beckett, personally. Burnett is now a very expensive pitcher and we really have no idea how he'll perform in the American League. He'll be facing tougher competition and he isn't familiar with AL batters either.
The duo of Roy Halladay and Burnett is one image. If Halladay comes back at 100 percent and Burnett stays healthy then Toronto can make a run at the division title. But if they both hit the disabled list for any amount of time, JP Riccardi could be crying in his sleep at night.