San Francisco Giants Predicted To Sign Best Player Available in Free Agency

Right-hander starter Corbin Burnes would be the perfect addition to the San Francisco Giants' starting rotation.

Aug 10, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants' offseason has gone well, especially with the expectations they had coming into the winter. Many had suggested that the Giants weren't interested in signing any big-name free agents, but that hasn't been the case, and more could be on the way. 

San Francisco has an interest in right-hander Corbin Burnes. If the Giants were to land the Cy Young Award winner, one could make a strong argument that they'd be a much better team than they were a year ago. Losing Blake Snell hurts, but Burnes is the better arm, and there shouldn't be much of a debate about that. 

After making the moves they already have, San Francisco has proven its willingness to spend. Given that's the case, why not continue to do so? The next best thing would be signing Burnes, and despite the likely big price tag, unless his market isn't where many expected it to be, there's not much of a reason not to sign him. 

Laura Albanese of Newsweek predicted the Giants would, highlighting the loss of Snell.

"The market for starting pitching has been nothing short of eye watering, and Burnes is one of this year’s top prizes. His contract will be massive, and he’s going to go to a team that’s willing to spend. For a while there, it looked like it was going to be the Red Sox, but they’ve now rounded out their rotation by trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler. Hey, is there a big market team out there that’s already shown a willingness to pay up? Did that same big market team also lose their staff ace in Blake Snell? They sure did …"

There aren't many things to worry about when it comes to the veteran. When at his best, he's certainly a top-five starter in Major League Baseball. If there's one thing to be somewhat concerned about, his strikeout numbers haven't exactly been great.

To his defense, he had a few rough starts after the All-Star break, which hurt his numbers a bit. The California native would've been in Cy Young contention had he pitched better after the break, but that wasn't the case.

His strikeout numbers took a hit because of that, and at other times throughout the campaign, they weren't great, but his stuff should play well at Oracle Park.

Burnes' durability is among the best in baseball. He rarely misses a start and took every turn with Baltimore last season. Current Giants starter Logan Webb is cut from the same cloth. No starter has throw more innings than he has in the last three years. The pair would make a terrific 1-2 punch.

If San Francisco doesn't land him, there would be some questions about their rotation. Looking to compete next season, signing Burnes would be ideal.