The former Cy Young winner signed with the Diamondbacks in a free agent chase that the Giants were never really in.
Corbin Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night, inking a deal worth $210 million over six years and dashing the hopes of San Francisco Giants fans who dreamed of seeing the former Cy Young winner in orange and black. But as the contract details emerge, it’s probably for the best that the Giants missed on the free agent market’s top remaining pitcher.
Corbin Burnes received a $10 million signing bonus in his Diamondbacks contract. So he is guaranteed $70 million the first 2 years of deal before he can opt out of the remaining $140 million over last 4 years.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 28, 2024
According to Susan Slusser, the Giants didn’t match the six years and $210 million that Burnes got from Arizona, nor did they make an offer after the winter meetings. But some of that may have been due to the desire of Burnes and his agent, Scott Boras, for opt-outs in his deal. Burnes can dismiss the remainder of his contract after the 2026 season, when he will be 32 years old, and re-enter the free agent market.
That contract structure has been a specialty of Burnes’ agent, Scott Boras, especially when dealing with the old Farhan Zaidi regime in San Francisco. Both Carlos Rodon and Blake Snell signed deals with the Giants that contained opt-outs after one season, and each went on to opt out and sign lucrative long-term deals with other teams.
The two deals weren’t created equal. Snell got a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres, so signing him (along with the qualifying-offered Matt Chapman) cost the Giants their second- and third-round draft choices and a cool million in international bonus pool money. Rodon didn’t get a qualifying offer from the Chicago White Sox, so it only cost the Giants cash. He did get one from the Giants, so his signing with the New York Yankees got them a compensatory pick that turned into lefty Joe Whitman, who Baseball Prospectus rated as their No. 6 prospect.
A player can only receive a qualifying offer once, so Snell didn’t get one from the Giants. Nor can Burnes get one from the Diamondbacks if he opts out in two seasons. It’s one thing to give up picks for a free agent who will be there long-term, like the Giants did in signing Willy Adames, but it’s a costlier proposition for a limited rental. They already forfeited their second- and fifth-round picks to sign Adames.
The Burnes deal has additional restrictions. Burnes gets a full no-trade clause for the first two seasons. If he doesn’t opt, he can still block trades to up to 14 teams for the remainder of the contract. For the Diamondbacks, who are already trying to deal Jordan Montgomery, signed last spring and owed $22.5 million for 2025, it does limit their options if Burnes flops.
That’s not to say Burnes hasn’t been a tremendous pitcher, or won’t be one for Arizona. He’s only 30 years old, he led the Baltimore Orioles to the playoffs last season, and for the last four seasons, Burnes is second in strikeouts, second in ERA, fourth in innings pitched, and never gets hurt. He’s a prize.
But for the Giants, they might simply not want to see a player star for them and immediately walk in free agency, especially right after Snell just did that. Arizona is clearly a lot closer to title contention than the Giants, and Burnes likely moves the needle more for the D-Backs than it would for the Giants.
Sure, the real reason might be that they want to cut payroll, have too much invested in a disastrous real estate project, or are saving money for Herschel Walker’s next political campaign. As it stands, the details of Burnes new contract make it eminently reasonable that Buster Posey and the Giants passed. Unfortunately, they may now have to face him multiple times each season as a result.