Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes will be the top pitcher available in free agency this winter, and a new report points to the massive cost for teams like the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox to persuade him to join their club.
After having a bit of an off year in 2023, the Orioles were able to land Milwaukee Brewers star pitcher Corbin Burnes in the offseason for a trade return that did not cost them any of their top prospects. It was surprising at the time but has become a steal with the 29-year-old having a brilliant season.
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After 16 starts, Burnes owns a 12-6 record and the All-Star is a legitimate contender for the American League Cy Young Award. A bounce-back season has come just in time for him because it is increasing his value ahead of a jump into free agency in the offseason.
Burnes was expected to have quite a few suitors in free agency anyway. But by being the ace of a team with one of the best records in baseball, his asking price will likely have gone up exponentially. In an early preview of this winter’s MLB free agent market, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel explained why the Orioles pitcher is likely to get one of the richest pitcher contracts of all time.
Could Corbin Burnes land a deal for more than $245 million?
“Burnes is better than Aaron Nola, who landed the second-biggest pitcher contract last winter (seven years, $172 million),” McDaniel wrote. “There were only three pitcher contracts over $200 million before last winter: Zack Greinke got $206.5 million from Arizona before the 2016 season and Stephen Strasburg got $245 million from Washington before the 2020 season, the same winter Gerrit Cole got $324 million from the Yankees.
“It would be reasonable for Burnes and Boras to aim for the third-biggest pitcher guarantee of all time, besting the $245 million that Boras got Strasburg five years ago.”
Such a contract would make Corbin Burnes the third-highest-paid pitcher in MLB.
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