Corbin Burnes’ payday has arrived.
The 30-year-old right-hander and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a six-year, $210-million contract, according to multiple reports
Jon Heyman of the New York Post says there is an opt-out after two years.
Bog Nightengale of USA Today reported Burnes was offered more money by the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants, but noted that there are lower taxes in Arizona. It is the largest contract in Diamondbacks franchise history.
The Diamondbacks fell just short of the playoffs this year after reaching the World Series in 2023.
Burnes spent the 2024 season with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and punching out 181 hitters over 194.1 innings. He finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting for his efforts and was named to his fourth All-Star Game in his debut season with the Orioles.
Baltimore’s ace delivered in the post-season, throwing eight innings of one-run ball against the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series. However, the Orioles weren’t able to push any runs across in what ended up being a 1-0 loss.
A seven-year MLB veteran, Burnes spent the first six seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers before an off-season trade last February brought him to the AL East. With Milwaukee, Burnes won the 2021 NL Cy Young after leading the senior circuit in ERA and FIP.
Since Burnes burst onto the scene in 2020, only Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have thrown more innings than the Bakersfield, Calif. native and only three qualified pitchers have a lower ERA.
Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft by the Brewers, Burnes has become one of MLB’s most effective arms thanks to his signature cutter. Since 2020, it has been the single best pitch in baseball, according to Statcast, generating a run value of 90 — 13 higher than the next closest offering.
Burnes’ cutter has held opposing hitters to a .224 batting average since his debut in 2018.
