Red Sox Predicted To Sign $200M Superstar In Franchise-Altering Move

Boston has the means to swing multiple major deals this winter

May 6, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Baltimore Orioles hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox already have made one bold move this offseason and there certainly will be more to follow.

Boston clearly has been busy behind the scenes with the Major League Baseball offseason now fully in swing. The Red Sox offered Nick Pivetta the qualifying offer on Monday and did not offer the same to slugger Tyler O'Neill.

It's unclear if Pivetta will accept, but that is just the first in what likely will be many moves this winter. Soon enough, big-name free agents will start coming off the board with large contracts in hand. Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes certainly is someone who will do so.

MLB Trade Rumors put together a list of each of the top free agents with possible contract price points and predicted Burnes will receive a seven-year, $200 million contract. MLB Trade Rumors' Tim Dierkes and Steve Adams both also predicted that the deal will be with Boston.

"Tim: Red Sox / Anthony: Mets / Darragh: Mets / Steve: Red Sox," MLB Trade Rumors posted. "Burnes headlines a strong class of free agent pitchers, leading the pack as a former Cy Young winner (2021) with an appealing blend of durability and relative youth. He’s younger and/or healthier than the other top starting pitchers who’ll follow him on this list...Even if Burnes never gets that strikeout rate back up into the 30s, he’s still a durable pitcher who throws hard, rarely walks opponents, misses bats at an above-average level and manages contact well.

"While Burnes’ reputation might lead some to think he could top $250MM, we’re predicting a more “modest” total based on the dip in strikeouts and swinging strikes. Burnes is still clearly a very good pitcher who’d be the No. 1 arm on the majority of pitching staffs around the league, and a $200MM guarantee is nothing to sneeze at. Only eight pitchers have ever reached that threshold in the past. Burnes will look to become the ninth, and he’ll have no shortage of interested suitors. Beyond the incumbent Orioles, it’s likely that the Red Sox, (Chicago Cubs), (Los Angeles Dodgers), (San Francisco Giants), (San Diego Padres Padres), (Detroit Tigers) and (New York Mets) (where former Brewers president of baseball ops David Stearns is now running the show) will all show some degree of interest."

If Burnes were to find his way to Boston for the 2025 season and beyond, it certainly would have its ace of the future.

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