CHICAGO — The Yankees have put A.J. Burnett, Rafael Soriano and Jorge Posada on trade waivers, The Post has learned.
That doesn’t mean any of the trio will be dealt. However, they are eligible to be claimed by other clubs within 48 hours. If multiple clubs claim them the team with the lower winning percentage is awarded the claim and can talk trade with the Yankees.
The Yankees can pull the players back, but if they put them out a second time and they get claimed the player goes to the team making the claim.
That’s how Jose Canseco became a Yankee in 2000 because the Yankees were trying to block him from going to the Red Sox.
Since Burnett is owed $49.5 million across the next three seasons and Soriano a combined $25 million in 2012 and 2013, any team claiming them runs the risk of the Yankees letting them go although that is highly unlikely.
Most major league teams put a large part of their roster on waivers for various reasons. Often it’s to gauge interest of other clubs and the starting point for offseason deals. Last year the White Sox put a claim in on Manny Ramirez and made a deal with the Dodgers.
There are three types of waivers: outright, trade and optional. The Rays put Johnny Damon, Kyle Farnsworth and James Shields on optional waivers.
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Derek Jeter wasn’t in the lineup during the Yankees’ 3-2 victory over the White Sox last night, but manager Joe Girardi and the shortstop expect him to play tonight.
“The extra day will help,” said Jeter, who was hit on the middle finger of the right hand Sunday. It’s the same finger he took a ground ball off Saturday night. “But I am able to play. It’s not an issue. I got hit in the same finger, that’s what made it worse. I could have played today.”
Girardi, who started Eduardo Nunez (0-for-3) at short for the 27th time, said it was easy to sit Jeter.
“I figure if I was going to give him a day on the trip, today was the day to do it,” Girardi said.
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Alex Rodriguez will start working out Thursday at the Yankees’ minor league complex. And while Girardi doesn’t have an exact time frame for Rodriguez to begin a minor league rehab assignment, he doesn’t expect his third baseman and cleanup hitter to be out long.