A lot of attention is on where 4-time All-Star outfielder Juan Soto will land before the 2025 season. But in addition to Soto, the New York Mets could pursue stars on the pitching mound this offseason. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer projected the Mets to not just pursue starting pitchers but sign what a lot of pundits consider the pitching crown jewel of the free agent market — Corbin Burnes.
On November 14, Rymer predicted the Mets to sign Burnes to a 7-year, $210 million contract.
“The Mets are more of speculative possibility, albeit an obvious one,” Rymer wrote. “Their front office is run by former Brewers GM David Stearns, and owner Steve Cohen could have enough for Burnes even if he’s able to sign Juan Soto first.”
Burnes won the 2021 National League Cy Young award with the Milwaukee Brewers. That season, he went 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 234 strikeouts in 167 innings.
Last season, he won a career-best 15 games with the Baltimore Orioles. He also had a 2.92 ERA, 1.096 WHIP and 181 strikeouts in 194.1 innings.
Mets ‘Obvious’ Fit for 2021 Cy Young Winner Corbin Burnes
The Mets were one of six teams Rymer named as a potential fit for Burnes. There should be plenty of competition for his services, especially from other organizations with high payrolls such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants.
But Rymer’s point about the Mets being an “obvious” choice to sign Burnes is very warranted.
According to Forbes, Steven Cohen is one of the wealthiest people in America, let alone among MLB owners. Forbes reported his net worth to be valued at $21.3 billion.
If there’s a free agent he desperately wants his team to add, there are few teams, if any, who will be able to outbid him.
It’s not clear if Burnes is solely after the biggest payday. But if he is, a $210 million contract will give him one of the highest-valued deals for a starting pitcher in the league.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Gerrit Cole and two-way player Shohei Ohtani are the only pitchers who are currently signed to a contract higher in value than $210 million.
What Burnes Would Bring to Mets
The Mets received a lot of quality pitching from their starting rotation during their run to the NLCS in 2024. Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and David Peterson all posted an ERA below 4.00. The first three of those pitchers also threw at least 170 innings.
But none of them are in the same tier of starting pitchers as Burnes.
The 30-year-old right-hander has finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting each of the past four seasons. He will likely accomplish that feat again in 2024 (this article was published prior to the release of the 2024 Cy Young voting).
Burnes led the NL in ERA during 2021 and WHIP in 2023. He also led the league in strikeouts per nine innings in 2021.
Although his strikeout totals were down in 2024, Burnes is perhaps the best starting pitcher addition a team can make this offseason. He’s a candidate to lead the league in ERA while throwing 200 innings every season for the immediate future.
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