Phillies' chances of signing A.J. Burnett have 'improved'

The A.J. Burnett saga is beginning to make me wonder if Burnett got really, really into it two years ago when the Yankees were rumored to be considering trading him to the Pirates, and the two parties took a month to get the deal done. Like two years ago, there isn't any actual news right now, but there is an almost-interesting A.J. Burnett rumor each day! This one comes from MLB.com's Todd Zolecki:

But sources said Monday night the Phils are very much still in the running for free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett.

It is unclear if the parties are close to a deal, but the chances have improved since Friday when Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, "It's more likely we'll go [into Spring Training] with what we've got."

So, for those keeping track, the contenders now appear to be the Pirates, Phillies and Nationals. Fascinating. Are you fascinated? I'm fascinated.