Burnes’ dominant season earns All-MLB First Team honor

BALTIMORE -- On Feb. 1, the Orioles swung one of the biggest blockbuster trades of last offseason. They needed an ace for the top of their rotation, and they acquired one of the best in baseball in a deal with the Brewers.

Expectations were high for Corbin Burnes upon his arrival in Baltimore. And he met them.

The 30-year-old right-hander was recognized for his strong 2024 campaign with the O’s on Thursday, when Burnes was named to this year’s All-MLB First Team presented by MGM Rewards. The All-MLB Team recognizes the best players at each position across the big leagues, with fans voting to determine who will be placed on the First and Second Teams.

• All-MLB Team history

Burnes was the lone representative for the Orioles, who went 91-71 and reached October as an American League Wild Card for their second consecutive postseason appearance.

Baltimore sent left-hander DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz to Milwaukee in the Burnes trade. The cost was high -- especially with Burnes set to pitch in a contract year -- but it proved to be worth it as the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner was consistently great.

• These are the 2024 All-MLB Team winners

On Opening Day at Camden Yards on March 28, Burnes racked up 11 strikeouts over six innings vs. the Angels and gave up only one hit -- a first-inning solo home run to Mike Trout that marked the only run allowed by the ace in an impressive debut for the O’s, who won, 11-3.

Burnes earned his fourth career All-Star nod after recording a 2.43 ERA over 19 first-half outings. He started the Midsummer Classic for the first time and worked a scoreless first inning for the AL at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The only difficult stretch of Burnes’ season came in August, when he posted a 7.36 ERA in five starts. But he got back on track by pitching to a 1.20 ERA over five September outings.

Burnes finished 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 194 1/3 innings (the sixth most in MLB and third most in the AL) over 32 starts. He collected 181 strikeouts and had a 3.4 bWAR.

It was the first time the Orioles had a pitcher finish with a sub-3.00 ERA over 190-plus innings since Mike Mussina had a 2.54 ERA in 241 innings in 1992.

Burnes was the first Baltimore hurler to record a sub-3.00 ERA with 180-plus strikeouts over 190-plus innings since 1977, when Jim Palmer had a 2.91 ERA and 193 K’s in 319 innings.

“We decided to lean into the roster redundancy a little bit and bring in an ace, and he pitched like one,” O’s general manager Mike Elias said of Burnes at last week’s GM Meetings in San Antonio. “I’m just most disappointed that we weren’t able to capitalize on that more with a long playoff run, because that’s a big advantage when you have a No. 1 starter like that.”

It wasn’t Burnes’ fault that the Orioles got swept in two games by the Royals in the AL Wild Card Series. He was acquired to pitch Game 1 of a postseason series for Baltimore, and when he was tabbed to start the opener vs. Kansas City, he delivered the expected type of performance.

Burnes pitched into the ninth during an 84-pitch playoff gem, allowing one run on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts over eight-plus innings. His lone blemish came in the sixth, when he gave up a two-out RBI single to Bobby Witt Jr., one of baseball’s top stars.

That was the only run of the game, as the O’s took a 1-0 loss despite Burnes’ best efforts. They went on to lose Game 2, 2-1, the next day, ending their brief postseason appearance.

At the GM Meetings, Elias said that the Orioles want to add a frontline starting pitcher again this offseason. They need one, with Burnes now a free agent, having hit the market for the first time. He’s also likely to decline the $21.05 million qualifying offer extended by Baltimore, as he has set himself up to land a multiyear, nine-figure deal this winter.

It’s possible Burnes returns to the O’s. But even if he doesn’t, his 2024 campaign will forever be remembered among the greatest pitching seasons in franchise history.