Fastball

Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly the Favorite For Ace Pitcher Corbin Burnes

After missing out on Juan Soto and Max Fried, is Toronto closing in on getting their man?

Brady Farkas

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Rogers Centre on June 4.
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Rogers Centre on June 4. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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After missing out on Juan Soto and Max Fried in free agency, the Toronto Blue Jays could be ready to close the deal on a big move.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Jays are being very aggressive in their pursuit of former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, with Feinsand calling them the "favorite" at this time.

According to sources, the two teams expected to be most aggressive on Burnes are the Blue Jays and Giants, with Toronto considered the favorite. The Blue Jays were prepared to spend $700 million on Juan Soto, and Toronto was among the teams in on Fried before he went to the Yankees. If Toronto – which faces the loss of Chris Bassitt after next season and Kevin Gausman following the 2026 campaign – is looking to spend big on an ace, Burnes may be their best and last hope.

That's certainly good news for a Blue Jays fan base that is tired of falling short in their pursuit of top players. The team finished behind the Dodgers for Shohei Ohtani last year and also missed out on Soto and Fried this week.

Toronto currently has five guys penciled into the rotation in Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis and Yariel Rodriguez, but signing Burnes would allow them to push someone to the bullpen, likely Rodriguez.

Burnes just went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles. A four-time All-Star and a former Cy Young winner, he's spent six years with the Milwaukee Brewers and one year with the Orioles.

We know that the Boston Red Sox have also prepared an offer for him as well.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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