Former NL Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes has reached an agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year, $210 million free agent contract, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deal.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
Burnes’ deal, the richest in Diamondbacks history, includes an opt-out after two years.
After six years in Milwaukee, Burnes pitched last season for the Baltimore Orioles, winning a career-high 15 games and posting an ERA of 2.92.
In an age of diminished starting pitching, Burnes, a four-time All-Star, is an outlier — making at least 32 starts and tossing at least 190 innings each of the past three seasons. His durability is a major selling point for the Diamondbacks and the 30-year-old right-hander gives them a high-quality starter for their 2025 rotation.
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A fourth-round pick of the Brewers in the 2016 MLB draft, Burnes established his place in Milwaukee’s starting rotation during the shortened 2020 season. He went 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts) and finished sixth in the NL Cy Young balloting.
The following season he emerged as an ace, making the NL All-Star team for the first time, finishing with an 11-5 record and 2.43 ERA, and edging Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler for the Cy Young award.
In 2022, Burnes led the NL in strikeouts with 243 and he followed it up with another strong season for the Brewers in 2023.
But that offseason, with the Brewers looking like non-contenders and Burnes in his final season before becoming a free agent, he was traded to Baltimore for left-hander DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz.
His time with the Orioles, though brief, was quite successful. He never missed a start, going 15-9 as the Orioles made the playoffs as a wild-card team. In the AL wild-card series opener, Burnes allowed one run in eight innings, but lost 1-0 to the Kansas City Royals and the O’s were eliminated the following day.
