MLB insider’s report might doom SF Giants’ chances of signing pitcher

Bob Nightengale called the Giants “heavy favorites” to sign Corbin Burnes. But he’s wrong so frequently, this probably means Burnes is going to be a Blue Jay.

There are a host of reasons that the San Francisco Giants should feel optimistic about signing free-agent starter Corbin Burnes. He has Bay Area ties, having pitched at St. Mary’s in Moraga. Burnes owns a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, the same place where the Giants have spring training, and he grew up in California.

There’s one big reason to be pessimistic: Bob Nightengale thinks they are “heavy favorites.”

Nightengale has covered major league baseball for USA Today since 1998, which has given him an insider’s perspective on the business. However, that perspective is often wrong. Like when he announced that the New York Mets had a deal with starting pitcher/men’s rights activist Trevor Bauer.

Or when he waged a social media campaign against a Colorado Rockies fan caught on camera using what Nightengale believed was a racial slur, only for it to turn out he was yelling for their mascot, “Dinger.”

His heart was in the right place!

Sometimes Nightengale is simply off on his career forecasts.

(He did not.)

Or what Matt Moore-related transactions might lead to.

For this one, we’ll assume Nightengale was talking about Kapler’s modeling career, not his managerial decisions.

Nightengale also broke the hearts of A’s fans with these tweets, sent three minutes apart.

We’re not saying that Nightengale’s report means Corbin Burnes is going to be a Toronto Blue Jay. But just be wary. If Jon Heyman tweets about “Robbin Burnes to SF,” you can assume Buster Posey & Co. struck out in their free agent pursuit.