MLB Insider Reveals Baltimore Orioles Star's Potential Free Agency Timeline

When could Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes make his free agency decision? It may not be as soon as one thinks.

May 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes is arguably the best player remaining on the board in free agency.

He is head and shoulders the most accomplished MLB pitcher available with Blake Snell and Max Fried off the board, agreeing to deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, respectively.

Fried signed a record-setting deal with the Orioles' American League East rivals, an eight-year contract worth $218 million. That is the most money that a left-handed starter has signed for in MLB history.

There is a good chance that Burnes will top that number, as industry projections have been low all offseason with the pitching market. As a result, he could receive one of the largest contracts in baseball history.

That is always a possibility when your agent is Scott Boras, who routinely seeks out the most money for his clients.

But, when could we see a resolution to his free agency? According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, he and Alex Bregman may not sign for at least another week.

“Right-hander Corbin Burnes and third baseman Alex Bregman are the two players left who fit this description, each with distinct markets that include some crossover. They also share an agent (Scott Boras) and a likely signing date after Christmas,” wrote the MLB insider.

Baltimore would love to bring their ace back, as they don’t currently have a top-of-the-rotation arm. That could make for disaster when matching up against the other contenders, as Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez going up against Fried and Gerrit Cole in New York or Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck with the Boston Red Sox are lopsided matchups.

Alas, retaining Brunes is not going to be easy.

Not only is it going to cost a lot of money, but his market is sizable. Right now, the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants are known suitors, but Passan cautions that more could join the race as other franchsies have the payroll flexibility to make a splash.

The former Cy Young Award winner is worth spending the money on as he has proven to be one of the better workhorses in the sport.

He has been named an All-Star four years in a row, finishing in the top six of Cy Young voting in five straight. In 2024 with the Orioles, he experienced a drop in velocity and strikeout rate, but that didn’t knock him off track too much.

Burnes still made 32 starts, the third straight campaign he reached that plateau, throwing 194.1 innings with a 2.92 ERA and 3.4 WAR.