An NL West team reportedly won the Corbin Burnes sweepstakes early Saturday morning.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Burnes agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The deal reportedly includes an opt-out after two years.
The Boston Red Sox reportedly were “in contact” with the four-time All-Star and some experts and insiders believed they were in the mix to sign the right-hander. Instead, Alex Cora’s side traded for Garrett Crochet and agreed to a deal with Walker Buehler. The Sox also have been involved in other trade discussions, per reports.
Burnes reportedly wanted to stay in his native West Coast and resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Orioles and Blue Jays, who had been viewed as the favorites for his services, likely will leave the Burnes sweepstakes disappointed since Baltimore lost its ace and Toronto missed out on another marquee free agent. Arizona, on the other hand, gets another pitcher to lead its formidable rotation to compete in the NL West.
Burnes’ reported megadeal likely will get the rest of the pitching market going as teams transition to their backup plans.
