Former 2021 Cy Young Award Winner Signs with the Diamondbacks
Entering free agency as one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the market, four-time all-star Corbin Burnes has found his new home. According to Jeff Passan, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Burnes to a six-year deal, worth 210 million dollars. As the D-Bakcs have found their newest ace heading into the 2025 season. Having spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers before Spring Training, Burnes was determined to have another great season as he entered the final year of his contract, a factor in the Brewers' decision to trade him. Now, his long-term future is established as he aims to lead the Diamondbacks to the World Series next season.
Over the course of his seven-year MLB career, Burnes has emerged as one of the league's top aces, most notably in his fourth season with the Brewers. Before making the full-time switch to the starting rotation in 2021, Burnes began his professional career in the bullpen. In 2021, he had his breakthrough season with Milwaukee, recording a career-best 11-5 record, 2.43 ERA, 234 strikeouts, and 0.94 WHIP. Consequently, Burnes ended the season with the best ERA in the league and a plethora of major awards, including his first NL Cy Young Award. In 2022, Burnes followed up his stellar 2021 season by finishing first in the NL in strikeouts with 243.
Last season with the Orioles, Burnes was the ace they had been searching for after coming out of their rebuilding phase in 2022 and becoming perennial World Series contenders with back-to-back 90-plus win seasons in 2023 and 2024. In 32 starts in 2024, Burnes finished with a 15-9 record, the seventh-best ERA at 2.92, 181 strikeouts, and a 1.10 WHIP. Even while encountering mid-season struggles in August, during which Burnes recorded a 7.36 ERA, he responded by finishing the regular season strong and delivering a dominant outing in his lone postseason start in Baltimore against the Kansas City Royals in the AL Wild Card round, going eight innings and allowing just one run. Now, Burnes will look to be the missing piece for the Diamondbacks heading into 2025 and beyond.
