The Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to several pitchers this offseason, and after officially anouncing the signing of left-handed starter Blake Snell on Nov. 30, the club seems to have moved on from Corbin Burnes.
With Snell going to Los Angeles, Burnes was reportedly left disappointed.
“I’m sure Corbin Burnes wanted to go there,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “It’s probably tough for Corbin Burnes to see Snell there, not him. No one doesn’t want to pitch at Dodger Stadium — it’s a great pitcher’s ballpark. And obviously, you know, you’re a World Series contender every single year.”
Instead of wearing blue, Burnes will have to continue fielding calls from other teams. One potential suitor could be the San Francisco Giants.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes that the Giants “are believed to have significant interest in Burnes.” San Francisco has to replace Snell and now joins the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, and Burnes’ former team, the Orioles, as clubs known to be pursuing the right-hander.
Burnes has strong West Coast connections, growing up in Bakersfield, California, and playing college baseball at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, which is about 40 minutes from San Francisco.
From an on-field standpoint, there’s a clear fit as well. Burnes would seamlessly replace Blake Snell as the team’s ace, forming a formidable one-two punch in the rotation alongside Logan Webb.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post predicts Burnes to top the $200 million mark. Heyman recently said that he expects Burnes to sign a seven-year, $210 million deal.
“One of the most consistent, durable starters around. He didn’t pitch for strikeouts this year but was just as effective. The Orioles will try to keep him, but it will probably be hard with at least the (New York) Yankees, (New York) Mets, and other big teams involved,” Heyman wrote. “All the high-revenue AL East teams plus the (San Francisco) Giants and Dodgers are expected to play for the Southern California product. $210 million, 7 years.”
With the Dodgers likely out of the running, that only leaves the Giants as a potential suitor west of the Mississippi.
Burnes wrapped up the season with a 2.92 ERA and a 15-9 record. In his first year with the Baltimore Orioles, he recorded 181 strikeouts.
Before his lone season with the Orioles, Burnes spent parts of six years with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he posted a 3.26 ERA. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 2021 and was a three-time All-Star during his tenure in Milwaukee.
