Corbin BurnsThe six-year, $210MM contract with the Diamondbacks stands out as the most surprising move of the 2024-25 offseason, as Arizona was not considered a major contender to spend that much money, or even move a frontline pitcher given the depth already in the rotation. of snakes.
As revealed today during Burnes’ introductory press conference, the idea of Burnes joining the D’Backs also seemed off-putting to all parties involved early in the season. Previous reports suggested that it was Burnes and his agent Scott Boras who reached out to the D’Backs to spark negotiations in late December and a deal was reached in short order, and this type of event was heavily supported in media commentary (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com) today.
Burnes and his family live in Scottsdale, and it was clear that playing close to home was appealing, especially after Burnes’ wife Brooke gave birth to twin girls this past June. Although Burnes was interested in playing for the Diamondbacks, there was little or no communication between the two sides until Boras contacted owner Ken Kendrick in December about signing possibilities. Boras and Kendrick appeared to be handling this first set of talks directly, as D’Backs GM Mike Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye were both out of the country on family vacations.
The result was the most expensive contract in Diamondbacks franchise history, with a salary that now sits at around $193.6MM, according to RosterResource estimates. Kendrick admitted that the D’Backs “to stretch the budget” to make the Burnes deal work, but he pointed to new revenue streams like a sponsored jersey patch, a ballpark sportsbook, and more concerts at Chase Field, as well as additional traditional revenue generated by increased attendance.
“All those things drive the train, so what do we do? Every dollar that comes in we will reinvest in the football players and not in ownership, and we will.,” Kendrick said.
Burnes wasn’t completely off the Diamondbacks’ radar at the start of the season, as Sawdaye said during an appearance on baseball’s Is’s Not Boring podcast today that the front office “it was heard by the mediators, and other players” that Burnes was interested in playing closer to home. Inside, Sawdaye said “we had some discussions and it seemed financially it wouldn’t work or make sense.”
However, with Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall pushing things and Burnes remaining unsigned, Sawdaye said the front office asked” ‘well, how much will it be?’ We are doing ourselves a disservice to the player who wants to come here, and obviously we have to find out how much that will cost..”
As tough as Burnes’ contract is, Boras said there are “there is no question” the right-hander has turned down big offers from other teams. Previous reports indicated that the Blue Jays and possibly the Orioles were willing to outbid Arizona, though Burnes said today that he received concrete offers from the Jays and Giants, as well as “some verbal stuff with Baltimore and Boston, but I didn’t see anything in writing.”
Verducci’s piece includes a lengthy breakdown of how Burnes’ free agent journey has progressed, with Toronto, Boston, and the Yankees all showing interest early in free agency. Various discussions took place with each group over the next few weeks, with Corbin and Brooke Burnes prioritizing how signing each prospective suitor would affect their young family’s daily schedule. The Yankees and Red Sox appeared to be going back in the race after the teams reached one after the other Fried Max again Garrett Crochet to address their needs, which helped pave the way for the D’Backs to come up with a late bid.
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