Former Brewers hurler Corbin Burnes made a big overnight splash in free agency early Saturday, reportedly signing a six-year deal worth $210 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The richest deal in Diamondbacks history includes an opt-out after two years.
Burnes spent the 2024 season in Baltimore after six years with the Brewers, during which he became the first Brewers pitcher in nearly 40 years to win the Cy Young Award. Milwaukee traded him to the Orioles last offseason in exchange for pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz.
More:Before he faces the Brewers, Corbin Burnes opens up about his time in Milwaukee and the trade
Hall struggled with injuries but remains an intriguing rotation or bullpen option going forward. Ortiz became the team’s every-day third baseman and is strongly in the mix to become the team’s starting shortstop with the departure of Willy Adames.
Burnes, a fourth-round pick for the Brewers in 2016, famously struggled through a brutal 2019 season but rediscovered himself dramatically in 2020, then went 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA in 2021 to win the National League Cy Young. That made him the first Brewers pitcher to win the award since Pete Vuckovich in 1982 and third overall (Rollie Fingers in 1981).
Burnes recorded 234 strikeouts in 165 innings in 2021 with just 34 walks. On Sept. 11 of that year against Cleveland, Burnes worked eight innings against Cleveland, with Josh Hader working the ninth for the second no-hitter in franchise history and first since 1987.
In 2022, Burnes led the league in strikeouts with 243, though he had pointed words for the organization after his arbitration case in February of 2023. He was an all-star again in 2023, but with one year remaining before free agency, Milwaukee dealt him to the Orioles.
He was excellent again last year, starting the 2024 All-Star Game and going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 194 innings. His strikeouts dipped slightly (181 and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings), but he continued to dramatically limit walks, with just 48 permitted. He finished fifth in the American League Cy Young voting.
Burnes’ last outing in a Brewers uniform came in the 2023 postseason, a disappointing loss to the Diamondbacks in which Burnes allowed four homers. His next start will come in a D-Backs uniform.
Burnes was sensational for Baltimore in one playoff appearance last year, allowing one run on five hits in eight innings. But, the Orioles took a 1-0 loss, followed by a 2-1 setback against the Royals in Game 2 of the wild-card round for a series sweep.
With Burnes signing, there have now been 13 free-agent deals this offseason across Major League Baseball worth $20 million or more in annual value, and there’s likely at least one more to come with Mets slugger Pete Alonso. The Brewers have agreed to two deals of that value in their franchise history, and neither was a free-agent acquisition: The extensions of Christian Yelich in 2020 (nine years, $215 million) and Ryan Braun in 2011 (five years, $105 million).
The Brewers came close in 2019 with a free-agent deal, signing catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year pact worth $18.25 million.
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