Baltimore Orioles Ace Re-Signs On Massive Deal in Latest Free Agency Prediction

The Baltimore Orioles were predicted to bring back their most notable free agent.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles will have some major decisions to make this offseason after another early postseason exit and a failure to win at least a single game in the playoffs for the tenth season in a row.

As the team turns the page to the offseason, the contract status of their biggest star will loom over the entire free agency strategy. In theory, Baltimore should have more money to spend under new ownership and there's no reason to let a superstar ace like Corbin Burnes walk after investing major assets into acquiring him from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason. But there is the very real fear that another team will tempt Burnes with a massive number that the Orioles can't compete with.

With that being said, the team must do everything they can to retain the 2021 Cy Young winner and four-time All-Star. While it won't be cheap, letting a star that you just traded for walk away after accomplishing nothing in the postseason with him is generally not good business when it comes to professional baseball. Matt Johnson of SportsNaut predicted Baltimore to cough up the cash to keep Burnes and re-sign him to a seven-year, $250 million deal.

"The Baltimore Orioles sacrificed top prospects DL Hall and Joey Ortiz to land Corbin Burnes last offseason," Johnson wrote. "Color us extremely skeptical that Baltimore will let him leave. While the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers can make things uncomfortable for Baltimore, new ownership is willing to spend and that’s exactly what they’ll do to prevent the Orioles’ ace from leaving."

Burnes is about to notch his fifth consecutive top-ten in Cy Young voting season and has established himself as undeniably one of the best pitchers on the planet. After a 2024 season that was once again sensational, there will be plenty of teams lined up to hand him a blank check if the Orioles decide to cheap out and let the superstar go.

With a 2.92 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 32 starts, he is without a doubt the biggest prize in free agency for any team looking for an arm this winter. Ace pitchers do not come around often however, and ultimately it feels like there's a pretty good chance Baltimore is not going to let Burnes get away.