Corbin Burnes Seemingly Leaves Door Open for Return to Baltimore Orioles

Did Corbin Burnes leave the door open to return to Baltimore Orioles?

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) bumps fists with Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) during a pitching change in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals 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 saw their season come to an end on Wednesday, as the Kansas City Royals defeated them in the Wild Card Round. 

Overall, it was a good season for the Orioles, as they made the playoffs and were the top-seeded Wild Card team. However, the early exit in the playoffs feels like a bit of a disappointment for a team that was one of the best in the league in the first half of the season. 

With the offseason now here for Baltimore, it is going to be a defining one for the franchise. The Orioles have spent years rebuilding and have established a pretty solid roster of players. 

This offseason, the Orioles made a big splash by bringing in Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade. Burnes is one of the best pitchers in baseball and was a great acquisition for Baltimore. 

Unfortunately, the Orioles knew going into this year that he was going to be a free agent after the season. With the campaign completed for Baltimore, that has become a reality. 

The All-Star is expected to be one of if not the best pitchers available in free agency, and the asking price will surely be high. For the Orioles, big free agent signings like this aren’t common, but they aren’t impossible. 

While it’s not determined whether Baltimore can afford to keep him, Burnes’ comments after the game seemingly left the door open for a return to the Orioles. 

“We’ll see what happens,” Burnes said to Jake Rill of MLB.com. “I haven't thought much about what's going on next. It's going to be a crazy offseason, but still just trying to digest what happened. It was an early exit to what we thought was going to be a long run.”

The addition of Burnes was one of the main reasons why Baltimore was able to make the playoffs this season, as he had an excellent campaign. In 2024, the right-hander totaled a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA. 

In Game 1 of the playoffs, the ace put together an amazing performance, as he pitched eight innings and allowed just one run. It was exactly the type of game that the Orioles brought him in for, but the offense did nothing to help him out. 

With the season now over, Burnes’ future with the team will be a hot topic. The Orioles have shown the ability to be a very competitive team with a young core, but it’s hard to imagine that they will be the highest bidder this offseason.