Dodgers Could Steal $250 Million Free Agent From Giants – Under One Condition
Corbin Burnes entered this winter as baseball’s top starting pitcher available in free agency. However, many hurlers have come off the board in recent weeks while he searches for a new home. Could the Los Angeles Dodgers snatch him from the San Francisco Giants’ grasp?
The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner is looking for a huge payday after being one of baseball’s most productive hurlers since 2020. He’s posted a 52-31 record with a 2.88 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 946 strikeouts in 816 2/3 innings during that time. Burnes spent 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles and finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting after twirling a 2.92 ERA in 194 1/3 innings pitched.
The Giants now appear to be Burnes’ most likely landing spot. Could the Dodgers find a way to steal the right-handed hurler from their hated rival? Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly thinks it’s possible under a specific circumstance.
“The Dodgers have already signed Blake Snell this offseason, have Yoshinobu Yamamoto entering his second season and will get the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin back from injury,” Kelly wrote. “They are an unlikely landing spot for Burnes right now. But if Burnes lingers on the market to the point where he considers signing a short-term deal with an early opt-out like Snell did last offseason, can you really rule out the Dodgers jumping in?”
It’s an interesting possibility to think about. Spotrac projects Burnes’ market value at six years and $183 million. But with Max Fried getting a $218 million guarantee from the New York Yankees, he’s likely to earn more. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer is predicting he’ll land a $250 million contract this winter.
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The Boston Red Sox Add Another Starter To Bolster Their Rotation
Earlier this week, the Boston Red Sox agreed to terms with right-handed starting pitcher Walker Buehler on a one-year, $21.05 million contract. This is the same amount that Buehler would have been due had the Los Angeles Dodgers made him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal also includes up to $2.5 million in other incentives.
The Dodgers drafted Buehler out of pitching powerhouse Vanderbilt in 2015, and he immediately underwent Tommy John surgery. After his recovery, he blitzed through the minor leagues, and made his big league debut in 2017. By May of 2018, Buehler was an integral part of the Dodgers’ starting rotation. Between 2018 and 2021, he made two All-Star teams and had two top-ten Cy Young finishes. In that span, he went 39-13, with a 2.82 ERA, which equates to a 146 ERA+.
Buehler missed the 2023 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery. And when he returned, he was not the same pitcher. His fastball, once elite, lost some of its zip and much of its late movement. When he took the hill post-recovery number two, he was a somewhat pedestrian pitcher. However, the Dodgers stuck with him, relying on him to start Game 3 of each of the National League Division Series (against the Padres), the National League Championship Series (against the Mets), and the World Series (against the Yankees). As most baseball fans know, his most memorable appearance was his one-inning save in Game 5 of the fall classic, where he struck out two, including Alex Verdugo to secure the World Series victory for the boys in blue.
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