Baltimore Orioles Predicted To Replace Corbin Burnes With Cy Young Award Winner

The Baltimore Orioles would get an elite arm, but he isn't the same caliber as Corbin Burnes.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles won't have many ways to replace Corbin Burnes. Perhaps there's a pitcher or two on the market who could be comparable, but for the most part, it'll essentially be impossible.

Many have predicted that Burnes could be looking at a $250 million deal, a good indication of the talent he has.

As the Orioles look to replace him, if that's how everything plays out, they've been linked to a few arms recently.

The issue, however, is that any pitcher who they attempt to replace Burnes with will likely be expensive. It's possible that another starter won't get a long-term deal like Burnes or the same amount of money, but they shouldn't expect to find an elite arm for just $20 million AAV.

If they're willing to hand out a long-term or high AAV deal, why not just keep Burnes at that point?

Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as it sounds, as the right-hander ultimately has the final say on where he'll play next.

Regarding potential replacements, Will Laws of Sports Illustrated predicted Baltimore would sign Blake Snell, giving them an ace in their rotation.

"Coming off his second Cy Young Award, the best Snell could do last winter was a two-year, $62 million deal with a player option. His 2024 was much more mixed, but he finished with a 5–0 record and a 1.23 ERA with 114 strikeouts over his final 14 starts. Consistency might always be an issue, but his upside is so elite that, this time around, he might finally get his nine-figure deal."

Snell is elite. No one should disagree with that. While he has some concerns on the mound, largely due to his walk numbers being an issue, he's been as good as it gets.

Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is expected to be compensated handsomely this winter. The last offseason didn't go as planned for him after a Cy Young campaign, but he was unhittable in the second half of 2024 and should get paid this time.

The Orioles landing the left-hander would be a good thing. He might not be Burnes, but his base numbers aren't too far off.

Outside of one or two other arms, Snell would be the best outcome if they lost Burnes.

Free agency is open, so Baltimore should be working the phones hard as they look to put out a World Series-caliber team in 2025.