The Arizona Diamondbacks achieved an 89-win season this year and were expected to relatively run it back with a few additions as well as other departures.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Seeing first baseman Christian Walker end his long, eight-year stint with the D-backs to sign as a free agent with the Houston Astros on Dec. 20, Arizona indicated that it was going to aggressively add in key areas of its roster with two significant moves.
D-backs make free agency splash
Only a day after Walker’s departure, the Diamondbacks acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians for a package that included right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi.
Identifying a serious need to pick up an All-Star in the infield, Arizona reportedly made another splash as Corbin Burnes is now a Diamondback. Late Friday night, Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke the news that 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes agreed to a six-year, $210 million contract with an opt-out after two years.
Breaking: Corbin Burnes to Diamondbacks, $210M, 6 years. opt out after 2 years.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 28, 2024
Known for his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, Burnes boasted a 3.26 ERA with 870 strikeouts and 206 walks in 167 total games (106 starts) across six seasons (2018-23). Posting a 45-27 record while with the Brewers, he was an MLB All-Star three times (2021-23). In the running for the Cy Young from 2020-23, he led all of MLB in ERA with a 2.43 en route to capturing the award in 2021.
Before this past campaign began, the 30-year-old was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. Starting in all 32 appearances for the Orioles, the California native owned a 2.92 ERA and a 15-9 record with 181 strikeouts in 194.1 innings of work. He was an All-Star again and finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2024.
With so many options and orders he can formulate, manager Torey Lovullo has at least seven starting-caliber pitchers who can crack the rotation now that Burnes joins the list. The depth as it currently looks consists of Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery.
Out of the names, Nelson and Montgomery would most likely be the two odd men out of the rotation. While he exercised his player option worth $22.5 million, Montgomery has recently been involved in trade rumors and may be on the way out.
Two crucial starters for the Diamondbacks, Gallen and Kelly are both heading into the final year of their contracts. Gallen signed a one-year $13,800,000 deal, and the Diamondbacks picked up Kelly’s $7 million team option for the 2025 season.
Getting a pitcher of Burnes’ caliber, this deal will give the Diamondbacks one of the strong starting rotations in the league as they look to return to the playoffs while also gaining more clarity that they will have an ace beyond next season.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Suns, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
