Corbin Burnes reportedly agrees to $210 million deal with Diamondbacks, leaving Orioles after 1 season

Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun on Dec 28, 2024

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — It was expected when the Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes in February that 2024 would be his lone season in Baltimore.

That assumption became reality early Saturday morning when Burnes reportedly agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While the Orioles do have deeper pockets with owner David Rubenstein at the helm, it was an uphill battle for them to re-sign Burnes, the best starting pitcher available in free agency. The Diamondbacks weren’t seen as a front-runner for Burnes, but it’s not a surprise that a team out west won the sweepstakes. The 30-year-old right-hander grew up in California and lives in Arizona with his wife and three kids, all of whom are under 3 years old.

Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias traded prospects Joey Ortiz and DL Hall to the Milwaukee Brewers for Burnes, hoping the ace would put Baltimore over the top. That didn’t happen, but not because of Burnes, who “more than held up his end of the bargain,” Elias said during his end-of-season news conference. Burnes won 15 games and posted a 2.92 ERA to finish fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting.

“This is a great group of guys and they accepted me from Day 1 when I came in like I was part of the family and had a great spring training, great year,” Burnes said before starting Game 1 of the AL wild-card series against the Kansas City Royals. “So, it’s a credit to those guys for accepting me as quickly as they did, and meshing in that clubhouse the way we did.”

The ace allowed just one run on five hits against the Royals, but Baltimore’s offense was shut out in a deflating 1-0 defeat at Camden Yards. Burnes became the first Orioles starter to complete eight innings in a playoff game and lose since Scott McGregor in Game 1 of the 1983 World Series.

Even after signing Tomoyuki Sugano for $13 million earlier this month, the Orioles are still in the market for a front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, and there are few remaining on the market. Japanese star Roki Sasaki and former Oriole Jack Flaherty are the lone pitchers in free agency who profile as at least a No. 2 starter. Other options, such as Andrew Heaney and José Quintana, are back-of-the-rotation options the Orioles could add for depth, while Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are accomplished veterans in the twilights of their careers.

It’s perhaps more likely Elias swings a trade for a starting pitcher, like he did in February for Burnes. While few can replace Burnes, there are approximately a dozen starting pitchers reportedly available for trade who would slot in the top three of the Orioles’ rotation. If Baltimore doesn’t bring in another starter, right-handers Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin would be atop the Orioles’ rotation until Kyle Bradish can return next summer from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

The Orioles will receive a compensatory pick in the 2025 draft because they extended the qualifying offer to Burnes, who denied it as expected. The selection is expected to be after the first round, likely No. 30 overall — 11 picks after the Orioles’ actual first-round choice. Baltimore could also receive a compensatory pick if outfielder Anthony Santander signs elsewhere this offseason. If Santander signs for at least $50 million, that pick would likely be No. 31 overall, essentially giving the Orioles three first-round selections.

Burnes’ deal reportedly includes an opt-out clause after two years. The contract, which was first reported by the New York Post, is the largest in Diamondbacks history and gives Arizona one of the best rotations in baseball with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez and Jordan Montgomery. The Diamondbacks’ previous record contract was the six-year, $206.5 million deal they gave starter Zack Greinke in 2015.

The contract’s average annual value of $35 million matches what Stephen Strasburg received from the Washington Nationals after the 2019 season, though Strasburg’s deal was $245 million over seven seasons. At $35 million per year, Burnes is tied for the sixth-highest paid starting pitcher in MLB history, behind only Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole. Burnes was reportedly offered more money by the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants — the two clubs seen as the front-runners for the ace — but he’s closer to his family in Arizona and will pay less in taxes there.

In 2021, Arizona lost 110 games — the same number the Orioles lost that season. Two years later, the Diamondbacks expedited their rebuild as buyers at the trade deadline, squeaked into the postseason and made the World Series.

Now, they’re spending big money to sign pitchers away from Baltimore, a club that was rebuilding alongside them just three years ago.