Corbin Burnes revealed that the Orioles made a four-year offer in an attempt to retain him during free agency, though he did not disclose the financial terms. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, Baltimore’s final offer was reportedly $180 million over four years.
Ultimately, Burnes opted to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year, $210 million deal, which includes an opt-out clause after the 2026 season. Geography played a key role in his decision — the former Cy Young winner is a California native and currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. With he and his wife welcoming twins last June, Burnes expressed a desire to be closer to home.
He and agent Scott Boras began discussions with Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick in late December, and the two sides reached an agreement shortly thereafter.
Could the Orioles have changed Corbin Burnes’ mind with a longer-term offer? While the right-hander didn’t give a definitive answer, he suggested it likely wouldn’t have made much difference.
“The dollars [in Arizona] were more than what they were [in Baltimore],” Burnes said in an interview shared by The Baltimore Sun’s Matt Weyrich. “I just don’t think we matched up on the years it was going to take to get to a dollar amount for me to stay there.”
Burnes added that even if Baltimore had matched or come close, Arizona still had a major edge due to location. “Now, I can’t guarantee I would have gone there had those offers come around just because … with us living here, if [the Diamondbacks] were going to be serious and have a fair offer, then this is where we were going to be,” he explained. “It’s tough to play the ‘what-if’ game.
Despite ultimately signing with the Diamondbacks, Corbin Burnes confirmed that agent Scott Boras remained engaged in talks with the Orioles until just a few days before the Arizona deal came together — a contract that was finalized in roughly 72 hours. That timeline suggests Baltimore was involved in the bidding process right up until the end.
Had the Orioles’ reported $180 million offer not included any deferred money, it would have translated to a staggering $45 million average annual value — the highest ever for a pitcher outside of Shohei Ohtani. That AAV would trail only Ohtani’s approximate $46 million (in net present value) and Juan Soto’s $51 million deal with the Mets in terms of overall MLB salaries.
Among pitchers, only Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Zack Wheeler have reached the $42–44 million AAV range, all on shorter, three-year contracts. Baltimore’s willingness to go big on AAV shows just how serious they were — even if the years and location ultimately tipped the scales in Arizona’s favor
Corbin Burnes ultimately accepted a significantly lower annual salary to join the Diamondbacks. His six-year, $210 million deal averages $35 million per season — tied for 14th in MLB — but includes $64 million in deferred money, reducing the contract’s net present value to just under $194 million (approximately $32 million annually).
The deal also featured a $10 million signing bonus, with $30 million salaries in 2025 and 2026 — each including $10 million in deferred payments — ahead of his opt-out opportunity.
So far, Burnes has gotten off to a rocky start in Arizona, allowing eight runs (six earned) across 9 1/3 innings in his first two appearances for the D-backs.
