Baltimore Orioles Superstar Ace Could Leave for a Division Rival in Free Agency

Could the Baltimore Orioles ace create a nightmare for the team in free agency?

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

As the Baltimore Orioles get set to approach the offseason, they do so with the knowledge that two of their best players are about to hit the open market and that the reality of losing both is a distinct possibility.

Of course, Baltimore should do everything they can to retain both of superstar ace Corbin Burnes as well as All-Star slugging outfielder Anthony Santander, but with every team in the league likely after Burnes after another great year and Santander coming off the best season of his career, shelling out the capital to keep both feels unlikely. While ownership should and likely will prioritize Burnes, there's no guarantee that even the best the Orioles can offer will get him to stay when other numbers start rolling in.

When it comes to the potential worst case scenarios for the team, there are at least two teams within the division who always have money to spend and could spell doom upon Baltimore if Burnes were to elect to leave, but not go too far. Tim Smart of Birds Watcher named both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees as potential nightmare teams that could try to swoop away Burnes.

"Yankees nominative ace Gerrit Cole has an opt-out after this year, and it's possible he takes it...If Cole opts out, it becomes much more likely that the Yankees would pursue Burnes," Smart wrote, later adding that Boston could be a serious player for Burnes without any sort of opt out. "Thanks to a brutal five year stretch, the Red Sox are hungry to build out a playoff roster. Adding an elite starting pitcher to pair with Tanner Houck is at the top of their wish list and we all know that they have the payroll space to fit someone like Burnes into their budget."

The Orioles cannot let Burnes get away period, but him ending up leading a division rival for the duration of the contract should be the scenario that keeps general manager Mike Elias up at night. In an ideal world, ownership shells out enough money to keep both Santander and Burnes, but that will likely not be the case. Santander has been linked to the Yankees as well if they were to lose the prize of free agency in Juan Soto, which of course would be a disaster but nowhere near the heartbreak of having to face Burnes in almost every series against the Yankees for the remainder of his career.

Things wouldn't be any better in Boston as Burnes could immediately hit the accelerate button on their rebuild and make the Red Sox an instant AL East contender once again. Burnes will of course have other suitors outside of the division as well, but Elias can mitigate the risk by simply paying him what he is worth.