The Baltimore Orioles took a big swing by trading for Corbin Burnes. Unfortunately, that swing may not have paid off.
To be clear, Burnes was fantastic in his one season as an Oriole, and Baltimore likely wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs without him. But any optimism that it wouldn’t just be one year in an Orioles uniform seems to be fading.
Free-agent pitching contracts have been incredibly pricy this winter, and Max Fried’s $218 million deal with the Yankees seemingly set the floor for Burnes’ deal. It would cost at least $60 million more than the biggest deal in Orioles history to bring back the right-hander.
A four-time All-Star and 2021 National League Cy Young winner, Burnes has plenty of interested suitors, including a couple of American League East rivals. However, a new round of free agency predictions sees him taking his talents west to his home state of California.
On Friday, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that Burnes would land with the San Francisco Giants for eight years, $250 million.
“As for Burnes’ diminishing ability to miss bats, perhaps it’s less as a problem and more a sign of the times,” Rymer said. “He sees hitters doing more to make contact with two strikes, and even he’s content to chase ground-ball outs.”
“You could therefore make the case that he’s already aging gracefully, which is to say nothing of how he’s never been on the injured list with an arm or shoulder injury. Prediction: Signs with San Francisco Giants for 8 years, $250 million.”
As potential destinations go, San Francisco would be ideal for Burnes from a production standpoint. Oracle Park is a big-time pitcher’s park, which helps negate Burnes’ diminished strikeout potential, and Matt Chapman and Willy Adames are lockdown defenders on the left side of the infield.
From the Orioles’ perspective, getting Burnes out of the AL East would at least be a plus if he’s destined to sign elsewhere. The best-case scenario is still a reunion, but that’s looking less likely by the day.
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