Corbin Burnes would have been the ultimate prize for the San Francisco Giants. Instead, he’s about to be a huge problem for them.
Burnes signed a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, reportedly turning down bigger offers from both the Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.
Not only have the Giants failed to land an ace in free agency this winter, but arguably the two biggest stars have both signed with division rivals. That includes the biggest gut punch of all–Blake Snell leaving San Francisco to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
If the Giants are looking to strike back at their National League West foes, their only remaining lifeline may be to trade with the other top dog in their loaded division. They may be able to swing a trade for the San Diego Padres’ Dylan Cease.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline predicted that the Giants would target Cease in a possible blockbuster as a backup plan after losing the Burnes sweepstakes.
“The Padres are no doubt hesitant to deal Cease within their own division, but if the Giants can put together a compelling return package, it would be negligent not to listen,” Kline said.
“The Giants would need to worry about what the future holds, but Cease is worth the gamble — especially with so much firepower being funneled into the division while San Francisco grasps at straws.”
Cease, 28, has two top-four Cy Young finishes in the last three seasons. He put up a 3.34 ERA and 3.10 FIP this past season, striking out 224 batters, which ranked third among all big-league pitchers.
Cease is projected for a $108 million extension (per Spotrac) when he hits free agency next winter. The Giants could afford to worry about that later, because right now, they need star talent. They should be calling the Padres frequently as long as Cease hasn’t yet been moved.
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