Will Burnes remain in the AL East?
MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding Corbin Burnes.
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.
Oct. 31: Has Burnes thrown his last pitch for the Orioles?
As the Orioles enter a pivotal offseason -- their first under a new ownership group led by David Rubenstein -- Burnes’ future is chief among their concerns. The ace right-hander, who became a free agent Thursday, lived up to expectations after being acquired from the Brewers in February, recording a 2.92 ERA over 194 1/3 innings, but he could depart as a free agent after one season with the club.
With a 2.88 ERA since the beginning of 2020, Burnes is the top pitcher on the market this year, so the O’s will have plenty of competition as they try to re-sign the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner.
“We’ll see what happens,” Burnes said after Baltimore’s loss to the Royals in the AL Wild Card Series when asked about potentially returning to the Orioles. “I haven't thought much about what's going on next. It's going to be a crazy offseason, but still just trying to digest what happened. It was an early exit to what we thought was going to be a long run.”