Rangers Named Worst Landing Spot for Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Corbin Burnes

Would the Texas Rangers be a bad fit for Baltiimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes?

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch in the second 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 are heading into a very important offseason in which they will have a lot of important decisions to make. 

This campaign, the Orioles were one of the best teams in the first half of the season, but then sputtered out and were about .500 in the second half. Considering the struggles of Baltimore in the second half of the season with all of their injuries, it wasn’t surprising to see them eliminated early in the MLB Postseason. 

Now, the organization will be trying to have an excellent winter and that will start with trying to bring back Corbin Burnes. The right-hander is going to be one of the best pitchers available in free agency and he will be highly sought-after. 

Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report spoke about the worst potential landing spot for Burnes and that would be going to the Texas Rangers. 

“The Rangers have not been shy about spending big on pitching, reeling in Jacob deGrom in free agency and acquiring Max Scherzer via trade at the 2023 deadline. With Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and Scherzer set to walk in free agency, the rotation will be a focal point this winter, but they would be better served signing multiple mid-level starters to provide support to a healthy deGrom in the rotation than they would shelling out the nine-figure deal it will take to sign Burnes.”

It was a disappointing 2024 season for the Rangers after winning the World Series in 2023. Texas missed the playoffs by a large margin, as they dealt with some injuries and also likely had some regrets about their offseason. 

Pitching is certainly going to be a need for the Rangers, but they will be hoping that Jacob deGrom is back and healthy for 2025. deGrom saw a little action toward the end of the season, and a full winter to continue to get stronger should set him up nicely for a big year. 

When healthy, deGrom is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and he could be an instant boost. Considering how much Texas is already paying him, a major investment in Burnes doesn’t make a ton of sense. 

With multiple needs in the rotation, the Rangers would be better to balance out their assets and bring in a few starters to provide depth to the rotation. 

The thought of a Burnes/deGrom duo would certainly be exciting, but it likely wouldn’t be the smartest thing for the franchise.