San Francisco Giants Weren’t Aggressive on Top Free-Agent Ace: Report

The San Francisco Giants were, reportedly, not as ‘in’ on free-agent starter Corbin Burnes as originally thought.

Dec 12, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey speaks during the introductory press conference for shortstop Willy Adames (not pictured) at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

For the better part of a month, the San Francisco Giants were seen by many as the favorite to land right-hander Corbin Burnes, especially after Max Fried signed with the New York Yankees.

Turns out the Giants’ pursuit of Burnes may not have been as aggressive as suspected.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported that the Giants’ interest in Burnes never advanced past an initial conversation at the general managers meetings, which were in November.

San Francisco did make an offer, but it did not beat the six-year, $210 million he got from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The deal, as reported by USA Today, features a $10 million signing bonus and a $30 million salary in 2025 and 2026, with $10 million deferred each season and paid out the following season.

His deal has an opt-out after the 2026 season. If Burnes opts out he can become a free agent at 32 years old. If he stays with Arizona, he’ll received $35 million each of the next four seasons, with $10 million of that deferred each of the next three seasons.

The right-hander also lives in Arizona, even, though he’s a California native that grew up in Bakersfield and went to college at nearby Saint Mary’s.

Burnes was with Baltimore last season and leaves after one year with the Orioles, as he went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and helped Baltimore make the playoffs for the second straight year. With an injury-riddled rotation behind him, he took the ball every turn and had 181 strikeouts and 48 walks in 194.1 innings.

He was also named the starter for the American League in the All-Star Game and finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting. He is the 2021 National League Cy Young winner.

By this reporting, the Giants likely didn’t offer Burnes a deal that exceeded $200 million, and the seven-year, $182 million deal that shortstop Willy Adames signed earlier this month remains the biggest contract in team history.

But it also leaves the Giants in need of another starting pitchers. Right now, their rotation looks like Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Hayden Birdsong, Kyle Harrison and a young fifth starter. Hence the hope of getting one more veteran.

The top veteran on the market as of now is Jack Flaherty, who is not yet 30 and coming off a 13-7 season and a World Series championship.