The Toronto Blue Jays made their second significant acquisition in two weeks when they signed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a five-year, $55 million contract on Tuesday. Burnett, whose destination was the subject of much speculation during the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings on Monday, officially joined the Toronto pitching staff nine days after the team signed closer B.J. Ryan to a five-year, $47 million deal last week. A 6-foot-5 righthander who will turn 29 next month, Burnett is also the sixth player from the Florida Marlins' 2005 roster to find a new team in the last two weeks, following Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett and Paul Lo Duca out of South Florida. The St. Louis Cardinals were also interested in Burnett, but reportedly offered only a four-year contract. Although he has a career losing record of 49-50 and a history of injuries, Burnett started 32 games for the Marlins last season, a career-high and the first time he started more than 20 games since 2002. Burnett also posted four complete games and two shutouts in 2005, but he did little to shake his reputation as a late-season dud when he lost his last six decisions to finish 12-12. That reputation does not bother Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "We know he's got one of the best arms in baseball," Gibbons said. And Burnett, impressed by the family atmosphere in Toronto and enamored by the prospect of working with Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, whom he pitched under for more than a season with the Marlins, feels like he has more to offer in the next five years. "It's going to be more than 49 wins, I can promise you that," said Burnett. For his career, Burnett has a 3.73 earned run average and 753 strikeouts in 134 games, all with the Marlins. He collected 198 strikeouts and had a 3.44 ERA last season. The lucrative deals offered recently by the Blue Jays -- especially Ryan's, which was a record for closers -- are proof that the team is serious about competing in the spend-heavy American League East, where the Yankees and Red Sox pay to field superior teams. Toronto president and CEO Paul Godfrey said the team's payroll will be $75 million in 2006, up $30 million from last season. "I don't know if we've closed the gap," said Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, who received a three-year contract extension Tuesday. "But I think we're getting better." Gibbons agreed. "On paper we're better, but we still gotta go out and do it," he said. "We don't want to just be a competitive team, we want to go out and win something." For his part, Burnett is anxious to pitch in American League -- especially in the AL East, probably the best-hitting division in the majors. "I wanted to accept the challenge and not run from it," said Burnett. "I'm looking forward to going against that league."