The whirlwind of MLB’s trade deadline is officially in the past. Contenders like the New York Yankees are still focused on 2024, but what kind of free agency splashes could general manager Brian Cashman be preparing to make this winter? Could current Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes be at the top of his list?
During a Bleacher Report live stream, Tyler Ward discussed potential landing spots for some of baseball’s biggest stars this winter. Among the six players he discussed, Ward predicted the Yankees would land Burnes on a free-agent mega deal.
Burnes, who won the 2021 National League Cy Young Award, is dominating during his first season with the Orioles. He’s 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 138.2 innings. He was named an All-Star in 2024 and earned the honor of being the American League’s starting pitcher.
The right-hander is expected to be one of the top available players on the free-agent market this winter. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer thinks the hurler could sign a deal as high as $288 million over eight years.
Burnes has been one of baseball’s most consistent aces since 2020. He pitched to a 2.79 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 893 strikeouts over his last 761 innings. More importantly, he’s taken the ball just about every fifth day.
Outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Burnes has started at least 28 games each year between 2021 and 2023. With 22 starts already under his belt in 2024, this streak is likely to continue for another season.
According to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource, the Yankees will at least have Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes under contract for 2025. Obviously, that doesn’t include Gerrit Cole. He could opt out of the final four years and $144 million of his $324 million deal this winter unless the Yankees commit another $36 million to him in 2029.
If Cole opted out and didn’t re-sign with New York, signing Burnes would give the Bombers a new reliable ace. But if Cole stayed, it’d give the Yankees a formidable one-two punch at the top of their rotation.
This Probably Won’t Be New York’s Top Offseason Priority
MLB’s offseason is still about four months away. The Yankees’ priorities could change quite a bit between now and then. However, it’s safe to assume that making a big splash for Burnes won’t be at the top of Cashman’s winter to-do list.
That spot is probably reserved for outfielder Juan Soto, who could sign for $500-plus million upon hitting free agency this winter. Soto was also one of the players Ward discussed during his Bleacher Report live stream. He predicted the New York Mets would land the left-handed slugger, which would hypothetically allow the Yankees more flexibility to land Burnes on a huge contract.
It seems as if the Bronx is the most logical Soto landing spot for the long haul, but it’ll depend on what lengths the Bombers are willing to go to get a deal done. If they can’t, they’ll have to quickly pivot elsewhere. Landing a hurler like Burnes would not only be huge for New York’s rotation, but it’d also be taking him away from an American League East rival in the Orioles.
