The Blue Jays will be in full recruit mode early this week when free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett begins his off-season tour of potential employers with a stop in Toronto. The Florida Marlins right-hander will be wined, dined and romanced by the Jays, who hope they can eventually land him on a multi-year contract. It will be like a high-school athlete visiting a college campus: See what a great facility the Rogers Centre is. Check out our workout room. Wanna tour the city? See how beautiful the lakefront is. Burnett is the best of the free-agent starters on the market this off-season and has a strong relationship with current Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, from when the two were together with the Marlins. Unlike most free agents, Burnett, of North Little Rock, Ark., isn't drawn to the large-market eastern teams, such as the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, or the sun of California, either with the Los Angeles Angels or the now headless Dodgers. Burnett, his friends say, would rather be under the radar, which would put the Jays in a position to entertain with their roughly $85-million US budget. Of course, the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals will also be players.