Corbin Burnes, the former Cy Young winner, told reporters that the Orioles offered him a four-year deal in free agency, though he didn’t reveal the financial details. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, Baltimore’s final offer was worth $180 million over four years.
Burnes ultimately signed with the Diamondbacks for six years and $210 million, with an opt-out option after the 2026 season. His decision was heavily influenced by location—Burnes is originally from California and now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. He mentioned back in January that he wanted to be closer to home, especially after he and his wife welcomed twins in June. Burnes and his agent, Scott Boras, began talks with Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick in late December and quickly finalized the agreement.
When asked if the Orioles could have changed his mind with a longer contract offer, Corbin Burnes didn’t give a direct answer but suggested it likely wouldn’t have made a difference. “Arizona’s offer was more money than Baltimore’s,” he said, via video shared by Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun. “I don’t think we were aligned on the number of years needed to reach a deal that made sense for me to stay. That said, I can’t say for certain I would’ve chosen them even with a longer offer, because… since we live here, if the Diamondbacks were serious and made a fair offer, this is where we were going to land. It’s hard to play the ‘what-if’ game.”
Still, Burnes mentioned that his agent, Scott Boras, continued talks with the Orioles up until just a few days before he finalized the deal with Arizona. He said the agreement with the Diamondbacks came together “in about 72 hours,” indicating that discussions with other teams continued nearly right up to the signing.
If the Orioles’ offer to Corbin Burnes didn’t include any deferred payments, it would have carried a hefty $45 million average annual value (AAV). That figure would’ve ranked as the highest AAV for any pitcher outside of Shohei Ohtani and the third-highest overall, trailing only Juan Soto’s $51 million from the Mets and the estimated $46 million annual NPV on Ohtani’s deal. Among traditional pitchers, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Zack Wheeler currently lead with annual salaries in the $42–44 million range on three-year deals.
In contrast, Burnes accepted significantly less per year with his deal in Arizona. His $35 million AAV ties him for 14th overall, and with $64 million in deferred money, the contract’s net present value drops to under $194 million—just over $32 million per year. His deal includes a $10 million signing bonus and $30 million salaries (with $10 million deferred each year) for the first two seasons before his opt-out clause. So far, in his first two starts with the Diamondbacks, Burnes has allowed eight runs—six earned—across 9 1/3 innings.
