Corbin Burnes and Arizona Diamondbacks agree to $210 million, 6-year deal, AP source says

 

[December 28, 2024]  By DAVID BRANDT

PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press late Friday night.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a successful physical.

The 30-year-old Burnes was perhaps the top free agent pitcher on the market after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for Baltimore last season, when he earned a $15,637,500 salary. The Orioles acquired the right-hander in a February trade after he spent his first six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

It’s no shock Burnes landed a big contract, but the destination is a surprise. Arizona's payroll usually ranks in the middle of the pack among big league teams, and this would be the largest contract in franchise history.

Among active major league pitchers with current contracts, Burnes’ $35 million average salary per year would rank fifth behind Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell and Gerrit Cole. Burnes’ agent, Scott Boras, has negotiated more than $1.6 billion in contracts for his clients this offseason.

Arizona is spending in an effort to compete with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Diamondbacks, who barely missed the playoffs this year, reached the World Series in 2023 before losing to the Texas Rangers in five games.

The D-backs now have a potential starting rotation that includes Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt, which on paper is among the best in baseball.

Baltimore Orioles' Corbin Burnes pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against New York Yankees, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)

Burnes finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting in his first year in the American League. He won the award in the National League in 2021. He’s made at least 28 starts in each of the past four seasons.

Aside from a poor stretch in August, Burnes was excellent last season, giving Baltimore’s injury-riddled rotation an ace the Orioles could count on. Baltimore reached the postseason as a wild card and lost in two straight games to Kansas City, but that wasn’t Burnes’ fault. He started the playoff opener and allowed one run in eight innings of a 1-0 defeat.

Burnes was also the starting pitcher for the AL in the All-Star Game in July.

Burnes set a career high in 2024 with 22 quality starts. His strikeout rate of 8.38 per nine innings was his lowest since he became a starter, but his walk rate (2.22) was his best since his Cy Young-winning campaign three years earlier.

The agreement between Burnes and the Diamondbacks comes after left-hander Blake Snell went to the Dodgers on a $182 million, five-year contract in November. Burnes is two years younger and has been more durable than Snell, who pitched 216 1/3 fewer innings over the past four seasons.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

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