The New York Yankees will look to bolster its rotation and one MLB insider has them landing arguably the top free-agent starter available.
The Yankees have already re-signed Gerrit Cole and MLB insider Jesse Yomtov of USA Today has New York signing Corbin Burnes away from their division rival Baltimore Orioles.
“After Gerrit Cole’s bizarre opt-out saga, the Yankees really should add another sure thing to the rotation. The former Cy Young winner is the safest bet of the aces on the market this winter and stealing him from the Orioles would further move the needle in the always-competitive AL East, putting Baltimore’s new ownership on the back foot,” Yomtov wrote.
Burnes is the top pitcher available and the second-ranked free agent in MLBTradeRumors rankings. The right-hander would immediately bolster the Yankees rotation and could slide right after Cole to have a stellar 1-2 punch.
Burnes is a four-time All-Star and won the NL Cy Young in 2021. The 30-year-old went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts over 194.1 innings with the Orioles last season. In his career, Burnes is 60-36 with a 3.19 ERA in 199 games and 138 starts.
What Will Burnes’ Contract Look Like?
Burnes is the top starting pitcher available so he will be in line to get a massive contract.
MLBTradeRumors has the former Cy Young winner signing a seven-year $200 million deal in free agency.
“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. He received a qualifying offer and will turn it down without a second thought,” the article read. “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,” the article added. “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, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Tigers and Mets (where former Brewers president of baseball ops David Stearns is now running the show) will all show some degree of interest.”
Burnes is a true ace of a rotation and will have several MLB teams trying to sign him in free agency.
Yankees Bring Back Cole
New York already re-signed Cole in free agency to help solidify the rotation.
Cole opted out of his deal but the Yankees agreed to a four-year $144 million deal, which was the original deal that Cole opted out of.
According to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, the fifth year wasn’t something the team wanted to add.
“We wanted our player and our ace back. He certainly didn’t want to go either,” Cashman said at the GM Meetings. “We had a lot of healthy dialogue about trying to thread the needle and keep it in play. We could always talk further as we move forward about the future…
“All parties wanted to keep the relationship going,” Cashman added. “The pressure point was the time frame we were in and the window that we’re in, so we removed the time frame.”
Cole went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA with New York this season.
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