Giants Baseball Insider

San Francisco Giants Reportedly Frontrunners in Corbin Burnes Sweepstakes

The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays are closing in on the former NL Cy Young winner with other pitchers now off the market.

Tyler Maher

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Two weeks after losing a former NL Cy Young winner in free agency, the San Francisco Giants are close to signing a different one.

After Max Fried signed with the New York Yankees on Tuesday, MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported that the Giants "appear to be frontrunners" for Corbin Burnes along with the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the same article, Feinsand predicted that Burnes will eclipse Fried's eight-year, $218 million deal, projecting a $240 million contract for the 2021 NL Cy Young winner.

Burnes, who recently turned 30, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last five years. Since 2020, he has compiled a 52-31 record, a 2.88 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, a 10.4 K/9 and 18.6 WAR.

The veteran righty is coming off four straight All-Star appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles. He's shined in the postseason as well, logging a 2.33 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 27 playoff innings.

Burnes is also durable, making at least 32 starts and eclipsing 190 innings in each of the last three years.

If San Francisco does sign Burnes, he'd fill the void left by Blake Snell, who recently signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'd also bolster a formidable rotation that already features former All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

Burnes would likely benefit from joining the Giants, who play in one of the most pitching-friendly parks in the Major Leagues.

San Francisco recently signed one of Burnes' former Brewers teammates, Willy Adames, who might be able to help recruit Burnes to the Bay Area.

The Giants already beefed up their lineup with Adames, but now they need to do the same to their rotation with Burnes.

San Francisco is being aggressive this offseason under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who seems determined to improve his former team after last year's disappointing fourth-place finish.

Adames was a good start, but now he needs to outbid the Blue Jays and seal the deal with Burnes.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.