Which teams are leading the race for Burnes?
MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding Corbin Burnes.
Nov. 18: Which teams are leading the race for Burnes?
Although Burnes is drawing “broad interest around the Major Leagues,” MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi gets the sense that there are two leading candidates to sign the ace pitcher: the incumbent Orioles and the defending World Series-champion Dodgers.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Friday that the team’s new ownership group has given him the flexibility to engage with the top starting pitchers on the free-agent market.
"I think we are looking at the whole menu, the whole spectrum. I credit the ownership change toward putting us in position to do that," Elias said. "As I’ve said, that doesn’t mean that we are going to spend money indiscriminately this offseason come hell or high water. We’re going to seek good talent evaluation, good long-term investments for the team."
Though Elias didn’t mention any specific names, Burnes is presumably at the the top of Baltimore’s wish list, given how well the partnership between the two sides went in 2024.
The Dodgers are also shopping at the top of the free-agent market for starting pitchers and could look to sign a big-name starter even if they land Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki via the posting process, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Two of the three starters the Dodgers relied upon in the playoffs, Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty, are now free agents.
Granted, the Dodgers have their share of 2025 starting options already on the roster and are likely to bring back Clayton Kershaw (currently a free agent), but injuries are an obvious concern across the board.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and Kershaw all missed significant time in 2024, while Shohei Ohtani, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May didn’t pitch at all.
Adding a top-flight arm such as Burnes, who ranks fourth in the Majors with 757 innings since the beginning of 2021, would add some more stability to the Dodgers' starting staff.
Nov. 12: Burnes drawing 'significant interest,' with 3 teams strong fits (report)
Burnes, the marquee MLB starter on the free-agent market, is drawing "significant interest," Jeff Passan reports in his 2024-25 offseason preview (subscription required).
Three teams stand out as good fits for the former Cy Young Award winner: the Giants, Blue Jays and Orioles.
Passan writes that Burnes could anchor the San Francisco starting rotation alongside Logan Webb, and he could do the same atop a Toronto rotation with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis.
A reunion with the Orioles also makes sense, after Burnes led Baltimore to the playoffs in 2024 following the Orioles' blockbuster trade for him last winter. Passan writes that Burnes returning to Baltimore "would be welcome" as the O's try to fortify their rotation this offseason.
Nov. 7: Yankees, Red Sox among possible landing spots for Burnes
Burnes' first season in the AL East was a stellar one as he pitched to a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts in 194 1/3 innings for the Orioles. Baltimore hopes to keep Burnes, but the No. 1 pitcher in this year's free-agent class may move elsewhere this winter.
He just may not move out of the division.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees have "checked on" Burnes, among other headline free-agent starting pitchers. Elsewhere, the Red Sox could be an option for Burnes since Boston plans to be active in the market, per The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. Boston could also address its need for starting pitching via trade and could be a good match with the White Sox for a trade involving All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet.
The Yankees have been linked other big-name free-agent pitchers beyond Burnes so far this offseason, including Max Fried, Blake Snell and Sean Manaea.