In one of the most shocking moves of the offseason, ace Corbin Burnes signed a six-year deal with the Diamondbacks for $210 million.
Despite a number of big-market teams being involved in rumors, including the Boston Red Sox, Burnes spurned them all in favor of Arizona. The D-Backs, not exactly known for big spending, doled out a mammoth contract to a player they weren’t even among the favorites for.
Burnes was perhaps the biggest prize of this year’s free agent class not named Juan Soto. He’s been one of the best and most consistent pitchers in baseball in the last several years. He’s also managed to stay largely healthy. Since 2021, he has finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting every year, winning the NL award in 2021. He has a combined 2.94 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 4.31 strikeout to walk ratio in 757 innings pitched. Being traded from Milwaukee to Baltimore did little to slow him down, as he finished fifth in the AL Cy Young race last year.
After the Red Sox lost out on Soto, Burnes became their biggest target, especially since Max Fried signed with the Yankees soon after. They were considered one of the frontrunners, along with the Mets, Giants and Blue Jays. As the offseason marched on, the Red Sox’ chances appeared to be waning. However, Burnes recently revealed that the Sox were among the frontrunners until the very end. He claimed he had “very similar offers” from both Boston and Baltimore.
