Red Sox Predicted To Sign Four-Time All-Star To Record-Setting $232 Million Deal

Will the Red Sox break the bank to land their next ace?

Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; American League pitcher Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles (39) pitches in the first inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It's high time the Boston Red Sox get back to spending like the big-market team that they are.

The Red Sox play in Major League Baseball's eighth-largest television market, and because of their historic brand, they are the third-most-valuable franchise in the sport. But in 2024, they ranked 11th in payroll, down from the number-one spot only five years ago.

Couple the lack of spending with three straight seasons where the Red Sox have missed the playoffs, and the fan base is beginning to grow restless. But Boston has the opportunity to get back in its fans' good graces by spending big in a bountiful free-agent market this winter.

The Red Sox need an ace starting pitcher most of all, and free agency could be the place they find one if they're willing to pay top dollar. One recent prediction sees them spending more than any other team on any individual starter this winter.

Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recently predicted that the Red Sox would sign Baltimore Orioles superstar Corbin Burnes to a record-setting eight-year, $232 million deal this winter.

"The Boston Red Sox need to make a splash this offseason, and they also need an ace," Finkelstein said. "Enter Corbin Burnes."

"Burnes would give the Red Sox an ace who has become one of the best workhorses in the game, something they desperately need... The Red Sox would have a veteran tone-setter in a rotation that includes plenty of rising young arms like Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello."

Burnes, 30, is at the peak of his powers, having just completed his fourth-straight All-Star season with a 15-9 record, 2.92 ERA, and 181 strikeouts in 194 innings. That strikeout total was actually Burnes' lowest of the last four years, but it was part of a strategy to allow him to pitch deeper into games.

The $232 million proposed deal would set a new record for a Red Sox contract handed out to a starting pitcher, eclipsing the $217 million deal David Price signed before the 2016 season. It would also give Burnes the third-most-lucrative deal among active pitchers in total value, behind Gerrit Cole and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Red Sox front office has done a lot of talking about spending big this winter, and this is their opportunity to put their money (literally) where their mouth is. Burnes would instantly take Boston from scrappy Wild Card contenders to World Series hopefuls.

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